Dplus KIA managed to secure one of the most remarkable stories in competitive League of Legends history, winning the 2026 Esports World Cup despite its players being left unpaid following organizational turmoil.
An LCK team winning an international LoL competition may not seem an exceptional circumstance, but this was far from the typical story of a top Korean team winning a League of Legends trophy.
Dplus KIA came into the Esports World Cup having recently announced that it was having to delay player salaries as it looked for a new buyer and outside financing. For a team that hadn’t seen meaningful success on the global stage since 2021, this seemed an ill omen.
But the unpaid Dplus players came together under dramatic circumstances and managed to snag an international trophy despite being left with an uncertain future. Here’s how they did it.
Dplus KIA ends Karmine Corp hopes in 2026 EWC final
The final at EWC 2026 came down to two surprise finalists, with Dplus KIA facing off with LEC representative Karmine Corp. No matter which team came out on top, it was going to be a big story, as this was also an opportunity for the first international trophy to be won by an LEC team in nearly a decade.
As interesting and surprising as the match-up was on paper, the finals series itself didn’t quite live up to the hype. Dplus KIA managed to see off KC with a quick 3-0 sweep. The LCK team’s stars were out in full force, as veteran mid-laner ShowMaker looked sharp and bottom lane carry Smash played well enough to secure an MVP award.
In his final two games versus Karmine Corp, Smash posted a combined 15-2-15 split on Caitlyn and Sivir.
It remained a successful run for KC despite the disappointing finish. The roster, remade with American support Busio in the offseason, managed to upset T1 and Anyone’s Legend in the playoffs before falling to Dplus KIA.
For Dplus, the finals performance came on the heels of a much more dramatic semifinals showing in which the side managed to best traditional Korean powerhouse and rival Gen.G in a best-of-three series that went the distance and included a 48-minute first game.
That came after Dplus took down arguably the world’s top-ranked team in the quarterfinals when it defeated BLG in another tight best-of-three series. There was no shortage of drama for the eventual EWC champion, from prior to the event to its conclusion.
Dplus KIA actually opened its tournament run with a loss, dropping its first match to Anyone’s Legend of the LPL. The LCK side quickly recovered after, sweeping both FURIA and the newly-modified G2 Esports to qualify for the playoff round.
There’s no telling how this result might affect the future of the Dplus KIA organization or the fate of its contracted players. But it’s worth noting that this championship victory carried with it a grand prize of $600,000, and that amount should certainly help the team to carry on for a bit longer.
