Dplus sweep Karmine Corp in cathartic (for some) end to LoL at EWC 26

Dplus Kia have defeated Karmine Corp 3-0 in the grand final of League of Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026, ending the hometown heroes' run in unceremonious fashion.

In front of hundreds of cheering and shouting fans in Paris, Dplus were able to triumph despite the turmoil their organization currently finds themselves in. In a best-of-five series on July 19, the team won three quick games, ending KC’s first major international final with a loss.

Dplus Kia’s journey to the championship wasn’t easy. After being knocked into the Group Stage lower bracket by AG.AL, they had to fight their way back through the tournament. Beyond this, they were competing against a backdrop of financial troubles for their organization that made the EWC feel like a must-win.

The team swept Brazil’s FURIA and European giants G2 Esports in consecutive best-of-three series to reach the playoffs. From there, they pulled off an upset against MSI finalists and LPL top seed Bilibili Gaming in the quarterfinals before taking down defending EWC champions Gen.G in the semifinals.

By the time they reached the grand final, Dplus Kia had already beaten some of the strongest teams in the world. But waiting for them in the final was another surprise contender: Karmine Corp.

The French side had earned their place by coming from behind to defeat LCK powerhouse, reigning World Champion, and EWC 2024 winner, T1, in the semifinals. It set up a rare underdog-versus-underdog championship match and gave fans hope for a fairytale ending on home soil. Unfortunately for the Paris crowd, that story never materialized. Instead, the perfect ending was reserved for Dplus alone.

Game 1 immediately showed what kind of series this would be. Dplus Kia stayed just ahead in the early stages before a string of aggressive plays helped them build a bigger lead and secure the opening win.

Game 2 was much closer, with both teams trading blows throughout the match. However, a late mistake from Karmine Corp gave Dplus the opening they needed, allowing them to take control and move within one game of the title.

Finally, in Game 3, Dplus left no doubt. They dominated from start to finish, closing out the sweep and securing their place in EWC history.

An emotional win for ShowMaker as Smash celebrates his Birthday

The victory was especially meaningful for veteran mid laner Heo “ShowMaker” Su. After lifting the trophy, he shared his feelings:

“It’s been five years since the international stage, and I’m so proud of myself, and I’m just so excited right now”

Support player Oh “Career” Hyung-suk revealed the moment he felt the championship was within reach. “In the early phase of the bot lane, our first kills came out there in Game 3. We were already up 2-0, it was a great start, and I was on a champion I’m confident on. That’s the moment I felt I won.”

Adding to Dplus Kia’s success, Sin “Smash” Guem-jae was named the tournament’s MVP, earning an additional $25,000 prize. The 19-year-old finished the event with an impressive 8.1 KDA and marked the achievement with a birthday celebration he’ll never forget.

“I’m so excited right now, I’m so happy,” Smash said after receiving the award. “It’s also my birthday in Korea. This is a phenomenal birthday.”

An overall criticism of the EWC’s League of Legends event has been a perceived apathy towards the event. Despite positioning itself as one of the major events on the calendar, as a non-Riot Games helmed event, the tournament doesn’t quite reach the heights of Worlds, and lives in the shadow of MSI, which finished just the week before.

Beyond this, the format is highly suspect. The four groups divided into double elimination, with best-of-ones in the upper bracket and best-of-threes in the lower is bizarre, and leads to the weaker teams playing more games, while the stronger (often more popular) teams play less. And the final bracket relies on a single elimination, with a third-place match. Overall, the format feels like it’s designed to fit into a broadcast schedule, when ideally, a competitive event shouldn’t have to kowtow to the whims of broadcast.

Thankfully for EWC and organizers the Esports Foundation, the event, perhaps through the divination of their awful format, managed to advance the best possible finalists to the last day, and produce the most exciting third-place match they could have featuring T1 and Gen.G.

While the finals were underwhelming in stature (a three game stomp is never that exciting) Dplus’ story of underpayment, and KC’s home-town magic is impossible not to get behind. These are the kind of final days that make or break events, and EWC definitely got lucky.