“Today’s match felt overall like the opponent prepared better than us. It’s disappointing that the game didn’t go as planned and we lost, but on a personal level, I am satisfied that we played a good match against our opponent.”
The 13-year streak of LPL opponents remaining undefeated in playoff series was finally broken, and T1’s relentless march toward a historic seventh Worlds title came to a halt at the semifinals threshold. Stepping into the heavy backstage interview room where history turned a page, ‘Faker’ Lee Sang-hyeok’s expression remained calm and unshaken. Amidst the chaos of victory cheers and defeat sighs, he looked back on the essential meaning left by this match rather than dwelling on the disappointment of the results.
T1 suffered a 1-3 set score defeat against Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in the semifinals of the ‘2026 League of Legends (LoL) World Championship’ held on the 9th (KST) at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas.
Though it was a setting ripe with the bitter remorse of elimination, Faker did not wrap his defeat in excuses or justifications. Without hesitation, he acknowledged the opponent’s thorough preparation as the decisive factor that decided the match.
“The opponent prepared more thoroughly than us, and unfortunately, we couldn’t execute the game the way we wanted. Although it ended in a defeat, I want to find meaning in the fact that we staged a magnificent battle amidst intense tension.”
Beyond just this painful defeat, Faker looked back on the eventful 2026 season as a whole and held himself to a strict standard. Recalling the times when he struggled to regain rhythm amidst consecutive roster changes and shaken momentum, he made no effort to hide his deep regret for the year.
“Overall, a lot of personal regret remains for this year. Beyond the results themselves, there were many things in and out of the game that I could have done better during the process, and not being able to fully accomplish them is what I regret most.”
However, the conclusion he drew was not frustration, but ‘growth’. Rather than blaming slumps or setbacks, he extracted valuable lessons from painful trial and errorβa testament to why he has maintained his position at the summit of the world for years.
“Conversely, I think the disappointments and shortcomings we experienced this time will become stepping stones for another lesson and leap forward. Looking back at this entire year, I was able to learn a truly tremendous amount.”
Armed with his signature crisis-management skills and indomitable will, Faker has always overcome adversity to return stronger. Carrying on the tradition of delivering a comforting symphony of hope to his fans through countless trials, he left a solid and steadfast promise for the future.
“Personally, I had many shortcomings this year. I will do my absolute best to show fans an even better image and a much stronger performance on the next stage.”
