T1 (esports)

Origins and Early History

The roots of T1 trace back to 2002, when StarCraft player Lim 'BoxeR' Yo-hwan founded a team called Team Orion. This squad was renamed to 4 Union in December 2003. The organization's major breakthrough came on April 13, 2004, when the South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom invested two million dollars to sponsor the team, officially creating SK Telecom T1. This early investment proved highly successful, with the team's market value estimated at fifteen million dollars by May 2005.

The organization's initial fame was built in StarCraft, where the team won the very first StarCraft Proleague. By 2011, the SKT squad had secured more Brood War championships than any other team in history. The StarCraft II division would eventually close in 2016 after the Proleague was discontinued by KeSPA.

Expansion into League of Legends

SK Telecom entered the League of Legends scene in December 2012 by acquiring the roster of Eat Sleep Game, forming SK Telecom T1 S. Two months later, in February 2013, they created a second team, SK Telecom T1 K. That same year, SKT T1 won its first League of Legends World Championship, beginning a legacy of dominance. The K team continued its success by winning the OGN winter season in 2014 without losing a single game and also claimed the All-Star Paris 2014 title.

However, after the Spring and Summer seasons of 2014, SKT T1 K failed to qualify for the World Championship. In the following offseason, Riot Games changed its rules to allow only one team per organization in a league. This led to the merger of the K and S squads into a single team competing under the name SKT T1. Players Impact and Piglet departed for the NA LCS as a result of this consolidation.

The First Dynasty: 2015-2017

The newly unified team immediately reclaimed the world championship in 2015, posting a 15–1 record over the entire tournament, losing only a single game in the finals. The period from 2015 to 2017 marked the top of SKT's League of Legends dynasty. In 2016, the team won the LCK Spring Split and secured its first Mid-Season Invitational title. Their MSI run was not smooth, as they unexpectedly lost several group stage games, but they recovered to sweep Counter Logic Gaming in the final, completing its collection of major international trophies.

Later that year, after a third-place finish in the LCK Summer Split, SKT won its third world championship after intense five-game series against the ROX Tigers in the semifinals and Samsung Galaxy in the final. Mid laner Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. The team continued its success in 2017, winning the LCK Spring Split by clean sweeping KT Rolster 3–0 and a second consecutive Mid-Season Invitational, where they topped the group stage and defeated G2 Esports in the final.

They entered the 2017 World Championship as heavy favorites for a third straight title. After a 5–1 group stage and narrow 3–2 victories over Misfits and Royal Never Give Up, SKT faced Samsung Galaxy in a rematch of the 2016 final but was swept 3–0, ending its reign. The following year, the team lost to Gen.G in the Korea Regional Finals, failing to qualify for the 2018 World Championship for the first time since its inception.

Rebranding to T1 and New Era

A significant transformation occurred in October 2019. SK Telecom partnered with American media giant Comcast Spectacor to create T1 Entertainment & Sports, with Joe Marsh named CEO. The organization was rebranded from SK Telecom T1 to simply T1. In a landmark move, star player Faker re-signed with the team in February 2020 on a three-year contract and also became a part-owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports.

This new era saw T1 continue to be a leading team in the LCK. In April 2019, they had won the LCK Spring Split but were defeated by G2 Esports at the Mid-Season Invitational semifinals. They won the LCK Summer Split later that year but fell again to G2 in the semifinals of the 2019 World Championship. In April 2020, T1 defeated Gen.G to win its ninth LCK title. The team achieved a perfect 18–0 regular season in the 2022 LCK Spring Split, a first in league history, and went on to win its tenth LCK championship. While they finished as runners-up at both the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational and the 2022 World Championship, the stage was set for a return to the top.

Return to World Championship Glory

After a seven-year drought, T1 reclaimed the Summoner's Cup at the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, defeating Weibo Gaming 3–0 in the final held in Seoul. Top laner Choi 'Zeus' Woo-je was named finals MVP for the team's fourth world title. This victory sparked a new period of dominance. T1 successfully defended its title at the 2024 World Championship in London, beating Bilibili Gaming 3–2 in a thrilling final, with Faker earning finals MVP honors for the second time.

The organization then made history in 2025 by winning a third consecutive world championship, its sixth overall, after a 3–2 victory over rivals KT Rolster in the so-called 'Telecom Derby'. This three-peat confirmed T1's status as the most successful organization in World Championship history. The team also won the KeSPA Cup in 2025. T1 entered the 2026 season with a roster including veteran Faker and, with interim head coach Im 'Tom' Jae-hyeon, secured qualification for the 2026 World Championship as the LCK's third seed.

International Success Beyond Summoner's Cup

Beyond its World Championship wins, T1 has collected other major international honors. The team won the Mid-Season Invitational in both 2016 and 2017, becoming the first to win the tournament back-to-back. In 2024, T1 also won the Esports World Cup title. The organization was selected as one of thirty for the Esports World Cup Club Support Program in 2024, receiving a six-figure stipend and annual funding for entering new esports and driving viewership to the event.

Domestically, T1's record is the best in the league. The team has won ten League of Legends Champions Korea championships, more than any other organization. Their 2022 Spring Split undefeated regular season run of 18–0 remains a landmark achievement. In the 2023 Spring Split, all five starting members were selected for the All-LCK First Team, another first in LCK history.

Expansion into Other Esports

Beyond League of Legends, T1 has built a diverse portfolio of competitive teams. The organization expanded into Hearthstone in July 2018 and into PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds that August. By 2019, T1 operated teams in at least eight games, including the two aforementioned, Fortnite, Dota 2, Super Smash Bros., and Apex Legends.

The organization formed a Valorant team in March 2020. This division achieved its first major international success in March 2025 by winning Valorant Masters Bangkok, defeating G2 Esports 3–2 in the grand finals. This victory marked T1's first international trophy in Valorant, adding to the organization's legacy of success across multiple gaming titles.