Dplus KIA (Photo EWC)
The League of Legends at EWC 26 Grand Final featured two of the tournament’s biggest surprise stories, but Dplus KIA left no doubt who was the better team.
In front of a passionate home crowd in Paris, the Korean squad swept France’s Karmine Corp 3-0 to claim its first Esports World Cup title and the $600,000 grand prize.
Both Dplus KIA and Karmine Corp entered EWC 26 as long shots. After inconsistent showings at MSI 2026, many viewed them as the weakest teams from their respective regions. They quickly rewrote that narrative, however, with unlikely runs to the Grand Final, eliminating tournament favorites including T1, Gen.G, Hanwha Life Esports, and Bilibili Gaming along the way.
With both underdogs chasing their first international title, Karmine Corp enjoyed a clear home-field advantage. The French squad was backed by a deafening Paris crowd, while Dplus KIA was met with boos as the players entered the arena.
Despite the atmosphere, the Grand Final was all Dplus KIA. The Korean squad methodically built advantages through strong laning and objective control, then converted them into comfortable victories before Karmine Corp could mount a comeback. Their dominance peaked in Game 3, where Dplus KIA amassed a 10,000-gold lead just 24 minutes in, effectively putting the series out of reach.
“There were a lot of boos from the KC crowd when we entered the arena, but it didn’t affect me,” jungler Choi “Lucid” Yong-hyeok said after the match. Instead, he said he was confident he could win over the French fans with Dplus KIA’s performance.
Bot laner Shin “Smash” Geum-jae was the standout performer, earning Sony MVP honors after posting an 8.1 KDA, 69.8% kill participation, 836 damage per minute, and 28.4% of his team’s total damage across the series. The victory was made even sweeter by the timing.
“It’s actually my birthday today in Korea,” Smash said. “I think today will be the happiest birthday I’ve ever celebrated.”
Dplus KIA earned 1,000 Club Championship points with its League of Legends title. However, the Korean club will not climb any higher, as League of Legends is its only event at EWC 26.
Runner-up Karmine Corp collects 750 points. The French organization still has a chance to add to its total in Rocket League later this summer, though its Club Championship campaign is limited after exiting VALORANT without scoring any points.
