T1 Achieves First Ever 'V5' in Worlds: "We Are Still Hungry"

Choi Tae-won Sends Congratulatory Message to T1 for 'Worlds V5' Victory

The 'defending champion' T1 of League of Legends (LoL) esports has once again reached the top of the world, achieving their fifth overall championship title following last year.

On the 3rd (Korean time), T1 defeated China's Bilibili Gaming (BLG) with a set score of 3:2 in the 2024 LoL World Championship finals held at the O2 Arena in London, UK, and lifted the 'Summoner's Cup.'

On the 3rd (Korean time), T1 players are taking a commemorative photo after winning the 2024 World Championship finals held at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

With this, T1 and Faker have set a historic record as the first in LoL esports history to win the World Championship five times in total. Faker was also selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the finals that day.

Since the first tournament in 2011, this is the first time a team has won the World Championship twice with the same starting lineup (Zeus - Oner - Faker - Gumayusi - Keria).

T1, representing the Korean LoL league LCK, began their World Championship victories in 2013 during their 'SK Telecom T1' era, setting a record as the first team to win two consecutive international titles in 2015 and 2016. After changing their team name to T1, they also claimed the championship at the 2023 World Championship held in Seoul.

After the World Championship finals, Faker said at a press conference, "Although we won, I personally felt some dissatisfaction with the process, and my goal for next year is to relieve that uneasy feeling."

Faker added, "I think my quick actions when situations arose were significant. Critical moments came to me frequently, so that was clearly visible."

He mentioned the best moment of today's match as, "In the 4th set, I initiated a fight with Sylas, and the result was good, with my teammates responding well."

To other professional players or aspirants, he said, "I hope many people continue to pursue their dreams like me and keep creating their own lives."

Other T1 teammates also emphasized, like Faker, that this victory is not the end.

'Zeus' Choi Woo-je said, "Although we have won twice, there is still thirst left. Since I am still hungry, I don't think I will look for motivation separately."

'Oner' Moon Hyun-jun said, "Next time, I will work hard to earn the finals MVP," and 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung emphasized, "My goal when I started as a pro gamer was to be the best in the world, and I think it is still a bit early. I want to show better performance in the domestic league as well."

Meanwhile, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won shared his joy by sending a congratulatory message to the T1 team for their World Championship victory.

In his message, Chairman Chey said, "The passion and teamwork you showed gave great inspiration and pride to fans worldwide, including myself. The achievement is even more valuable because it was created by trusting and dedicating yourselves to each other during difficult moments."

He added, "I hope this victory leads to a new history for Korean esports and becomes a great challenge for you all."

SK Telecom founded T1 in 2004. In 2021, T1 was spun off from SK Telecom and incorporated into SK Square's portfolio. SK Square jointly manages T1, a global esports specialist company, with the American media and entertainment group Comcast.

SK Square aimed to increase T1's value and conducted a paid-in capital increase worth 13.5 billion KRW in 2022 together with Comcast.