Karmine Corp pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year, beating T1 2-1 to reach the 2026 Esports World Cup League of Legends final.
The French side lost Game 1 and 2 became a 1-1 series, setting up a decider that turned into pure chaos.
T1 looked in full control of Game 3. They built a gold lead of around 6,000, took Baron Nashor, and secured the Dragon Soul. On paper, the game was over.
But T1 couldn’t close it out. Instead of pressuring lanes safely, they threw themselves into a string of messy fights. Oner’s Pantheon kept diving in on Grand Starfall without support. Faker’s Ryze used Realm Warp to reposition, but the placements often split T1 apart instead of grouping them up.
Realm Warp dropped T1 behind KC, Olaf tried to flank from another angle, and Pantheon sat in the middle. The team ended up scattered, and Karmine Corp punished every mistake.
Canna’s Gnar was the centerpiece. His ultimate landed on clumped T1 players again and again, flipping fights that KC had no business winning. Yike then found the initiation that turned the tide for good.
A frantic finish
The ending was a full base race. KC’s Nexus was exposed to a huge minion wave, so instead of turning back, they rushed straight down mid to end it first.
T1 ADC Peyz put up a wall on his own. He fought near KC’s bottom side and pulled off a defensive stand while trying to use his Baron-empowered recall to get home. KC scrambled to pop his Guardian Angel and stall the recall long enough.
It wasn’t enough. Karmine Corp smashed through mid and destroyed T1’s Nexus before Peyz could return, setting off wild celebrations on stage from Canna and Yike.
Why this one hurts
This was no ordinary loss for T1. They’re the most decorated org in League history, led by Faker, and they’d already swept Karmine Corp 3-0 at MSI earlier in the season.
Karmine Corp, meanwhile, went winless across six games at that same MSI. Nobody expected this rematch to go their way, especially after T1 looked dominant against Hanwha Life Esports at the event.
There was extra spice too. Canna started his career at T1, so beating his former team on Gnar, one of his signature picks, added a neat subplot.
The win also gave KC two scalps from top Asian sides at this Esports World Cup, adding T1 to an earlier victory over Anyone’s Legend.
Karmine Corp now move on to the grand final, where they’re expected to meet Dplus KIA. The date, time, and format will be confirmed on the official broadcast.
