Summary
InLeague of Legends, no tournament is more important than Worlds. TheLeague of LegendsWorld Championship brings together the best teams from North America, Europe, Korea, China, and minor regions. To win the World Championship, teams competing at Worlds must progress through different stages, such as the play-ins, the Swiss stage, and the tournament’s knockout rounds.
With T1 clinching the2023 World Championshiptitle, the team has established itself as one of the most impressive champions in the game’s history. However, several other champions have left their mark on theLeague of LegendsWorld Championships through their strong team play and unique play styles.
13Fnatic
Season 1 Champions
The famous European organization that has honned players such as Rekkles and Caps over the years was the first team to win the World Championship in 2011. Despite the lack of Korean and Chinese teams present, Fnatic battled from a 1-2 start in their group to win several Best-Of-3s, leading to the team defeating aAa 2-1 in the final.
While xPeke and Cyanide are the most well-known individuals from the team, their star player happened to be Gragas enthusiast Shushei, who won tournament MVP with his playin the mid-lane.
12FPX
Season 9 Champions
Although FPX was the Chinese 1st seed coming into the tournament, teams suchas the LEC’s G2were more favored to take the Summoner’s Cup. FPX topped their group through a tiebreaker, resulting in them facing Fnatic in the quarter-finals. Following their victory, FPX defeated the reigning world champion IG in the semi-finals and later toppled the MSI winner G2 in the finals.
Their success was mostly through star midlaner Doinb, who broke the tournament meta through his unusual champion pool, including his now-famous Nautilus.
11SSG
Season 7 Champions
SSG shocked the world in 2017 when the team soundly defeated the reigning champions, SKT, 3-0 in the finals. Only one year before, SSG, with the same roster, lost to SKT in a dramatic five-game series in the finals. SSG bounced back from their tragic finals loss by returning to the Season 7 Worlds with a plan to enact revenge.
Although qualifying 2nd in their group, SSG dispatched the competition in the knockout stage by only dropping one game thanks to theirAD carry Ruler’sMVP performances.
10DRX
Season 12 Champions
DRX’s World Championship success in season 12 is considered the biggest underdog story ever achieved inLeague of LegendsEsports. DRX qualified for the tournament as the 4th seed of Korea, having to go through the play-in tournament to be eligible for the main event. Once in the group stage, DRX qualified in 1st place, leading the team to reach the knockout stage against the odds. DRX battled through a competitive knockout stage, defeating tournament favorites such as EDG, Gen G, andT1 in an electrifying five-game final.
DRX’s story was aided by their AD carry, Deft, who was said to be having his last dance as a pro player. That narrative only added to the underdog mentality DRX possessed, creating a champion that will surely be remembered inLoLhistory.
9TPA
Season 2 Champions
In what many consider the first officialLeague of LegendsWorld Championship, the unlikely Taiwan team TPA managed to upset the heavily favored Moscow Five and Azubu Frost to take the Summoner’s Cup. Being the 1st seed of their region, TPA was automatically placed in the playoff stage.
From then on, TPA took down the behemoths of China, Europe, and Korea to win the World Championship. Still, to this day, there has yet to be a minor region team that has won Worldsor even gotten close since TPA.
8EDG
Season 11 Champions
Coming in as the 1st seed, EDG was placed as one of the favorites due to their player talent and dominant play style. EDG’s team featured such elite talents as Scout, Viper, and Meiko, with these three players being essential in their successful run. EDG crushed their group as 1st seeds, later defeating RNG, Gen G, and eventually the reigning champions Damwon in the final.
All the Best-Of-5s in the knockout stage that EDG won were hard fought, with each series going to game five to decide the winner, showcasing EDG’s clutch factor. EDG’s Worlds skins are regarded as some of the best, even withits Yuumi skin, a champion detestedby many players.
7SKT
Season 6 Champions
Faker’s 3rd world title was a road of struggle and hardships that led to SKT becoming the first-ever team to win the tournament back-to-back. In the group stage, SKT cruised to 1st place over NA’s Cloud 9, although their knockout stage run became infamous for the quality of Best-Of-5s that took place.
SKT’s main opposition in the tournament was their semi-final matchup with the ROX Tigers. SKT narrowly won the series 3-2, with the BO5 being heavily regarded as one of the greatest inLeague of Legendshistory. In the final, SKT faced off with fellow Korean team SSG, again leading to game five going in favor of SKT.
6SKT
Season 3 Champions
The season 3 World Championship began Korea’s dominance inLeague of Legends, with SKT taking their first title. Before the tournament, SKT garnered hype due to their 17-year-old phenom, Faker, who was seen as the best-emerging player due to his impressive mechanical playson skilled champions such as Zed. Unlike the top seeds, SKT had to advance from the group stage, topping their group 7-1.
Throughout the knockout stage, SKT had to defeat their Eastern counterparts on the path to glory, with Gamania Bears, NaJin Black Sword, and Royal Club all falling to the new overlords on the scene.
5T1
Season 13 Champions
Although T1 was considered very strong, JDG was considered the favorite for the Summoner’s Cup through their dominant display at MSI and in the LPL. As soon as the newly revamped Swiss stage started, T1 looked extremely dominant, especially with theirunique bot lane picksfrom Keria leading to them qualifying through to the knock-out stage with a 3-1 record.
T1’s path to the final featured all LPL teams, including the prohibited tournament favorite JDG. T1 demolished each team, only dropping a single game in the process to JDG as they rectified their past year’s failure. T1’s World Championship win further cemented Faker’s status as the game’s greatest-ever player.
4IG
Season 8 Champions
IG’s performance at the 2018 World Championships is one to remember, with their excellent team fighting on the rift making them one of the best Worlds winners. With a peak TheShy, Rookie, and JackeyLove, IG was hard to stop. In the quarter-finals, IG faced their most formidable opposition with a 3-2 victory over a highly skilled KT Rolster.
For both the semis and finals, IG demolished Europe’s greatest hopes, G2 and Fnatic, with 3-0 wins over both teams, with IG’s play being on a completely different level. IG is a popular Worlds' winner within theLoLcommunity, with theIG Legend skin line proving to be a fan favorite.
