T1 (previously known as SK Telecom T1 or SKT T1) is a South Korean esports organization operated by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor. The team that would become SKT T1 was originally founded in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003. In April 2004, South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom began sponsoring the team, officially creating the team SK Telecom T1.
The team that would become T1 was originally founded in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003.[2] On April 13, 2004, South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom sponsored the team with an investment of US$2 million, officially creating the team SK Telecom T1; by May 2005, it was estimated to have earned $15million worth of market effects.[3][4]
On December 13, 2012, SK Telecom expanded into League of Legends esports by acquiring the roster of Eat Sleep Game, and created the team SK Telecom T1 S. On February 26, 2013, they created a second League of Legends team, SK Telecom T1 K.[5]
In 2016, SKT closed their StarCraft II division, after KeSPA announced that they would be discontinuing the Proleague.[6]
In October 2019, SK Telecom T1 was rebranded to simply T1, after SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor partnered to create T1 Entertainment & Sports, and Joe Marsh was named the CEO.[9]League of Legends player Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok then became a part-owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports in February 2020.[10]
On March 9, 2020, T1 signed its first player to its newly formed Valorant team.[11]
On May 6, 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation, funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and organizers of the Esports World Cup tournament series, announced the 30 organizations that would make up the World Cup Club Support Program, with T1 being one of them. This program gives teams a one-time six-figure stipend if an organization is willing to enter new esports as well as additional funding each year if they drive viewership and fan engagement to the Esports World Cup.[12]
League of Legends
SK Telecom T1 League of Legends team at the 2013 World Championship
On December 13, 2012, SK Telecom expanded into League of Legends esports by acquiring the roster of Eat Sleep Game, and created the team SK Telecom T1 S. On February 26, 2013, they created their second League of Legends team, SK Telecom T1 K.[5] In the same year, SKT T1 won their first League of Legends World Championship.[13] In 2014, SK Telecom T1 K followed their success through in the OGN winter season, winning the tournament without dropping a single game. They would then go on to win All-Star Paris 2014.[14] However, their Winter season success did not follow through and after the Spring and Summer seasons, SKT T1 K failed to qualify for the 2014 World Championship. In the following offseason, Riot Games changed the team regulations so that each organization may only have one team participating in each league. This led to the merger of SKT T1 K and SKT T1 S, and the subsequent departures of Impact and Piglet for the NA LCS.[15] The new team would compete under the name SKT T1.
At the 2015 World Championship, SKT won the title while losing only one game in the finals for a record of 15–1 over the course of the tournament.[16]
SKT team started off the 2016 Season by winning the LCK Spring Split.[17] With this victory, SKT was guaranteed a spot in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational.[18] At that point in time, MSI was the only major international tournament they had yet to win. They were heavily favored coming into the tournament, but were initially unable to perform up to their usual standards, unexpectedly losing several games in the group stage.[19] However, they managed to turn things around during the elimination round and eventually clinched the title by sweeping the North American team, Counter Logic Gaming, in the finals.[20] SKT placed third in the 2016 LCK Summer Split, but still qualified for the 2016 World Championship through circuit points. The team swept through the group stage and advanced towards the playoff round. In the semifinals they defeated the ROX Tigers in a close 3–2 series.[21] In the finals they defeated Samsung Galaxy in another close 3–2 series, winning their third world championship title.[22][23]Faker was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.[24]
SKT won the 2017 LCK Spring Split, clean sweeping KT Rolster 3–0 in the finals. This win qualified them for the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational.[25] At the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational, SKT topped the group stage with a 8–2 record. SKT then swept Flash Wolves 3–0 in the semifinals and defeated G2 Esports 3–1 in the finals, becoming the first team to win the Mid-Season Invitational back-to-back.[26] At the 2017 World Championship, SKT were considered to be strong favourites to lift the cup for a third consecutive time despite not winning the LCK Summer Split. After a 5–1 group stage, SKT narrowly defeated Misfits and Royal Never Give Up in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, before facing Samsung Galaxy in a repeat of the previous year's final. Despite being favourites going into the game, Samsung Galaxy swept SKT 3–0, ending their domination at the World Championship.[27]
SKT lost to Gen.G in the 2018 Korea Regional Finals, failing to qualify for the 2018 World Championship.[28]
In October 2019, SKT rebranded as T1 after partnering with Comcast Spectacor.[35] In February 2020, Faker had re-signed with the team for three years, in which his contract would last until 2022. He also became a part owner of T1 Entertainment and Sports.[36][37] In April of the same year, T1 defeated Gen.G and won their ninth LCK title.[38]
During the 2022 LCK Spring, T1 went undefeated in the regular season with an 18–0 record, becoming the first team to achieve this record since the league's inception.[40] In the playoffs, T1 won its tenth LCK title, defeating Gen.G 3–1 in the finals.[41] On the international stage, T1 finished as the runners-up of the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, losing in the final to Royal Never Give Up.[42] The team also finished as the runners-up at the 2022 League of Legends World Championship after losing 3–2 to DRX in the final.[43] The team had qualified for the tournament as the second seed from the LCK by the virtue of having the most Championship Points.[44]
In the 2023 LCK Spring Split, T1 qualified for the playoffs as the first seed, posting a 17–1 record as all five members of the roster were chosen for the All-LCK First Team, a first in LCK history.[45][46] The team won every series to advance to the finals, qualifying for the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational after defeating Gen.G in the upper bracket semifinals.[47] T1 lost the Spring Split title against the same opponent in a rematch of the 2022 LCK Summer 2022 finals, as Gen.G won the match 3–1.[48] T1 was then defeated 3–2 by JD Gaming and 3–1 by Bilibili Gaming to exit the Mid-Season Invitational at the loser-bracket final.[49] At the 2023 League of Legends World Championship, T1 won its fourth World Championship title, the first in seven years, after defeating Weibo Gaming 3–0 in the finals held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.[50] T1's top laner Choi "Zeus" Woo-je was named finals MVP.[51]
At the 2024 League of Legends World Championship, T1 won its fifth World Championship title after defeating Bilibili Gaming 3–2 in the final, held in London.[52] Faker was named the finals MVP, marking his second time receiving the honour.[53] T1 repeated the feat in the 2025 edition for their record-extending sixth and third consecutive title after defeating their rivals KT Rolster 3–2 in the 'Telecom Derby'.[54][55]
Seasons overview
As SK Telecom T1 S
As SK Telecom T1 K
As SK Telecom T1 / T1
Roster
StarCraft
The StarCraft division of SKT was originally founded in 2002 by player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003.[2] The team won the first-ever StarCraft Proleague, and by 2011, they had won the most championships of any team in Brood War history.[57]
In 2016, SKT closed their StarCraft II division after the Proleague was discontinued.[6]
Valorant
In March 2025, the organization won its first international event, after defeating G2 Esports 3–2 in the grand finals of Valorant Masters Bangkok.[58][59]
Awards and nominations
Literature
Lim Yo-hwan (May 21, 2007). 나만큼 미쳐봐[Be as crazy as me] (in Korean). Bookroad. ISBN978-89-91239-15-9.
Notes
12Placements reflect standings in the team's respective group and not the entire region.
↑T1 qualified for the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[68]
12游戏开发之旅：初入游戏职场的必修课 (in Chinese). Beijing Book Co. Inc. July 1, 2017. ISBN978-7-121-32029-3. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
↑Jin, Dal Yong (October 1, 2010). Korea's Online Gaming Empire. MIT Press. p.95. ISBN978-0-262-28896-5. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
↑e스포츠, 나를 위한 지식 플러스 (in Korean). 넥서스BOOKS. August 21, 2017. ISBN979-11-6165-103-3. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
12Goetomo, Filbert (2016). Esports in Korea: A study on League of Legends team performances on the share price of owning corporations (Thesis). Claremont McKenna College. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023.
12Herrmann, Oliver (December 31, 2016). "The story of StarCraft II in 2016". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
↑Jo, Jin-ho (July 30, 2018). "SK텔레콤 T1, '하스스톤' 팀 창단…'서렌더' 김정수 등 영입". Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved January 21, 2025.
↑Oak, Yudae (August 13, 2018). "SK Telecom T1 Announces Their New PUBG Team". InvenGlobal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
12"Comcast Spectacor, SK Telecom launch T1". ESPN. Reuters. October 15, 2019. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
↑Erzberger, Tyler (February 18, 2020). "Faker's groundbreaking new contract -- from T1 superstar to part-owner". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
↑Geracie, Nick (April 20, 2020). "TSM joins Cloud9, Ninjas in Pyjamas & T1 in the hunt for VALORANT players". InvenGlobal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
↑Fudge, James (May 6, 2024). "30 Teams Selected for the Esports World Cup Club Support Program". The Esports Advocate. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
↑"League Of Legends' Best Team Streamrolls Yet Another Challenger". Kotaku. October 16, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑"Worlds Collide at LCS All-Star 2014". Red Bull. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑Li, Xing (March 24, 2019). "Where they've gone: A look at former SKT players and how they're doing". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑Dyer, Mitch (November 2, 2015). "Worlds: How SK Telecom T1 Won the 2015 League of Legends Championship". IGN. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
↑Volsig (April 18, 2016). "The WashUp - KT v SKT - Champions Korea Spring Playoffs". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑"About Mid-Season Invitational". LoL eSports. Archived from the original on July 25, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
↑Warr, Philippa (May 12, 2016). "League Of Legends MSI 2016: The Story So Far". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑Marshall, Paul (May 15, 2016). "Korea's SKTelecom T1 wins the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational". LoL eSports. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
↑"Worlds: SKT defeats ROX in five games". ESPN.com. October 22, 2016. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑"Worlds: SKT clinches third world championship 3-2". ESPN.com. October 30, 2016. Archived from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑Joshtaylor (October 30, 2016). "Worlds 2016: SKT Make It A Repeat". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑Lam, Kien. "SK Telecom T1 wins World Championship again". LoL eSports. Riot Games. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
↑Newell, Adam (May 10, 2017). "MSI 2017 power rankings". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑Li, Xing (May 21, 2017). "SKT defeats G2 Esports for the 2017 MSI title". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑"Samsung Galaxy defeat SKT 3-0 to win at Worlds". MCV. February 13, 2020. ISSN1469-4832. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
↑"[The three-time League of Legends world champions will not play at this year's tournament]". Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
↑Kolev, Radoslav. "SKT are back, sweep Griffin to win LCK Spring". VPEsports. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
↑Endres, Elena (November 1, 2019). "Can G2 repeat their MSI success and beat SKT at Worlds 2019?". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
↑"League of Legends: [2019 LCK Summer Finals] Faker Claims His Eighth LCK Trophy". invenglobal.com. August 31, 2019. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
↑Esguerra, Tyler (November 5, 2019). "G2 are the second team to beat SKT in a best-of-five more than once in the same year". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
↑"G2 beat SKT in five-game semifinal at MSI". ESPN. May 18, 2019. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
↑Moncav, Melany (November 3, 2019). "G2 Esports earn spot in LoL Worlds 2019 finals by beating SKT". WIN Esports. Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
↑"SKT T1 formally rebrands to T1, reveals new logo and merchandise". Millenium US. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
↑"이상혁, T1 파트 오너 된다, 선수 계약도 2022년까지 연장". sports.news.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
↑"League of Legends: Faker extends his contract for three years, becomes partial owner of T1 Entertainment and Sports". InvenGlobal. February 18, 2020. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
↑"League of Legends: [2020 LCK Spring Finals][LCK Finals] T1 Faker: "I can't believe that I've won the championship nine times."". InvenGlobal. April 25, 2020. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
↑"LoLEsports on Twitter". Archived from the original on January 29, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
↑Banerjee, Rijit (March 20, 2022). "T1 finish LCK Spring Split undefeated with perfect 18–0, Faker shines on Veigar". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
↑Kwon, Daniel (April 2, 2022). "T1 defeat Gen.G 3–1 and becomes 2022 LCK Spring Champions, will represent the LCK at MSI 2022". Inven Global. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
↑Cowley, Ric (May 30, 2022). "G2 and T1's best bits from the MSI 2022 tournament". Red Bull. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
↑Scales, Kali (November 6, 2022). "DRX Defeats T1 to Win Worlds 2022". Esports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
↑"A breakdown of all the LCK teams competing at Worlds 2022". InvenGlobal. September 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
↑Kelly, Michael (March 19, 2023). "T1 make history with LCK's fourth-ever 17-win split". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
↑Jang, David (March 22, 2023). "All five T1 players voted to the All-LCK First Team". Inven Global. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
↑"T1 Bengi: "It's been a while since T1 won an international title. That's why I want to win MSI."". InvenGlobal. April 2, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
↑"Gen.G win LCK Spring 2023 finals despite draft gaps". ONE Esports. April 9, 2023. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
↑Moncada, Melany (May 20, 2023). "T1 eliminated from MSI 2023 by underdog BLG". WIN.gg. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
↑Stubbs, Mike (November 19, 2023). "T1 Wins The 'League Of Legends' World Championship For A Fourth Time". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
↑"Zeus is your Worlds 2023 finals MVP". InvenGlobal. November 19, 2023. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
↑Stubbs, Mike (November 2, 2024). "T1 Wins The 'League Of Legends' World Championship... Again". Forbes. Retrieved November 4, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑Tan, Amanda (November 3, 2024). "Faker wins Worlds 2024 final MVP — it's actually his second". ONE Esports. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
↑Yang, Seung-su (November 10, 2025). "T1 Wins Third Straight League of Legends World Title". The Chosun Daily. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
↑Popko, John (November 10, 2025). "T1 Secures 6th League of Legends World Championship Title". Inven Global. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
↑Reimer, Jeremy (August 30, 2011). ""For the swarm!" Inside the world of professional StarCraft players". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
↑Popko, John (March 4, 2025). "VALORANT Masters Bangkok: T1 Clinches International Crown in Five-Set Thriller". Inven Global. Retrieved August 24, 2025.
↑Stubbs, Mike (March 2, 2025). "T1 Wins 'Valorant' Masters Bangkok Tournament After An Epic Final". Forbes. Retrieved August 24, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
↑"2013 Korea e-Sports Awards". tl.net. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
↑"KeSPA League of Legends". Facebook. Archived from the original on August 15, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
↑"Faker sweeps the 2016 KeSPA eSports Awards". invenglobal.com. November 24, 2016. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
↑"T1, 올해의 팀 선정…펍지-공로상, 카트라이더-종목상 수상Awards". dailyesports.com (in Korean). January 17, 2020. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
↑"The winners of the 2022 Brand of the Year Award". allkpop.com. August 31, 2022. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
123Christine (December 31, 2024). "T1's 2024 recaps: Fifth Worlds trophy, EWC 2024, end of ZOFGK era, and more". esports gg. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
↑Ciocchetti, Cecilia (August 25, 2025). "Faker and xQc among Esports Awards of the Decade winners". Esports Insider. Retrieved August 25, 2025.
"Riot Games cancels 2020 Mid-Season Invitational". Reuters. April 23, 2020. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
External links
Official website
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T1 (esports)
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