South Korea's T1 win record fourth League of Legends world title

SEOUL: South Korean powerhouse T1 swept aside China's Weibo Gaming on Sunday (Nov 19) to clinch a record fourth League of Legends world championship, widely considered the Super Bowl of e-sports.

T1 won three straight games in the best-of-five final at the Gocheok Sky Dome stadium in Seoul, roared on by a capacity crowd of 18,000.

Legions of fans descended on Seoul for the final of the League of Legends world championship, which has rapidly grown since the first edition in 2011 into one of the crown jewels of the billion-dollar global e-sports industry.

Fireworks went off as T1 members lifted the trophy, bouncing in a huddle as the crowd chanted "T1! T1! T1!"

"More than anything, I am very grateful that I was able to play in front of so many people," said T1's Faker, a superstar gamer hailed as the Michael Jordan of e-sports.

Faker, whose real name is Lee Sang-hyeok, has now won a record four world titles and, aged 27, is also the oldest player to clinch the biggest prize in League of Legends.

He has celebrity status in gaming-mad South Korea, and gets a rockstar reception at public appearances.

The victory marked a dominant run at the world championship for T1, who were looking to bounce back after losing in the final in San Francisco last year.

"It feels unreal right now, it feels like a dream," said T1's Keria, whose real name is Ryu Min-seok.

The crowd, including many dressed as characters from League of Legends, witnessed a glitzy ceremony before the final that included a performance by K-pop stars NewJeans.

Tickets for the final at the Sky Dome, which usually hosts baseball games, sold out in 10 minutes when they were made available in August, according to League of Legends maker Riot Games.

Thousands also gathered at a fan