A Coincidence Involving T1 at MSI 2026
In just a few days, the opening matches of the MSI 2026 Play-In stage will officially begin. This year’s tournament features many unique aspects starting from the format, and the Play-In stage will be highly anticipated with the participation of T1, the reigning World Champions. But before MSI 2026 kicks off, fans will witness an interesting fact: three generations of T1’s Top Laners are all competing in this year’s event.
Specifically, Canna representing Karmine Corp, Zeus in Hanwha Life Esports colors, and Doran for T1 are all present at the tournament held in South Korea. However, as only the second seed from their region, both KC and T1 will start from the Play-In stage. Thus, among these three generations of Top Laners who have worn the T1 jersey, only up to two will advance to the MSI Main Event this year.
Among the three players, two have won World Championships with T1, while only Canna missed out. In fact, during his tenure, T1 experienced ups and downs and even became the first LoL team in history to “change coach mid-season.” Nevertheless, T1 still reached the World Championship semifinals that year and lost only to Damwon Gaming at their peak.
T1 Also Contributes Among the Most Players at MSI This Year
Historically, T1 is renowned as one of the most prestigious talent factories in the Korean and global LoL scene. At this year’s MSI, many players competing for other teams are former T1 members. Alongside current T1 stars like Faker and Oner, there are four other players developed through T1’s academy who now serve as key members on their current rosters.
All of them will face off in the year’s second international tournament, regarded as the second most prestigious event in LoL after Worlds, competing for the highest goal: the championship.