Bilibili Gaming knocked out three-time reigning champions T1 in the Worlds 2026 semifinals and avenged their 2024 final defeat. The result guarantees a new champion when BLG meet Gen.G at Barclays Center.
Bilibili Gaming are through to the Worlds 2026 grand final after ending T1’s three-year reign. The semifinal was played on November 8 at 16:00 CT, when it was already November 9 in Korea. The win avenges BLG’s defeat to T1 in the 2024 final. It also ends T1’s run of four straight Worlds finals.
The defeat carries historic weight. T1 had never lost a best-of-five knockout series to an LPL team since their first Worlds in 2013, Sports Kyunghyang reported. That 13-year record is now over.
BLG’s bottom lane outplayed T1 across four games
Faker’s Syndra won T1 one game in the series. BLG still controlled the matchup where it counted. Viper and ON outplayed T1’s bottom lane across the four games.
Faker was frank after the series. He said BLG had prepared better than T1 and the games did not go the way his team expected. He added that he was not satisfied with his own year. He hoped to come back stronger and play better for the fans.
The loss breaks a long pattern for T1. Worlds 2026 was their 11th appearance at the tournament. They have reached at least the semifinals in every one of them. This year they got through the Swiss Stage by beating LOS, CFO and Movistar KOI. In the quarterfinals they beat Karmine Corp 3-1 on November 6.
For BLG, the semifinal also closes a painful chapter. Their run to the final has now removed Hanwha Life, Dplus KIA and T1. They swept Dplus KIA 3-0 in the quarterfinals on November 5.
An LCK vs LPL final will crown a new champion
This will be the first Worlds final without T1 in five years. Instead, the trophy match pits the LCK against the LPL. Either outcome produces a new champion.
On one side is Chovy, who is playing in his first final with Gen.G. On the other is Knight with BLG, who still have to beat Gen.G to finish their run. Gen.G arrive without dropping a game in their two knockout series. They beat LYON 3-0 in the quarterfinals on November 4. They then swept Invictus Gaming 3-0 in the first semifinal on November 7.
Worlds 2026 has a total prize pool of US$5,000,000 and featured 19 teams. The event began on October 15. For fans in Korea, the best-of-five decider begins at 4 AM KST on November 15.
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