Underdogs to meet in final as Dplus clash with Karmine Corp in LoL at EWC 26

Dplus and Karmine Corp will meet later today in the finals of LoL at EWC 26. Both teams upset opponents, Gen.G and T1 respectively, to reach the grand finals of the Esports World Cup 2026.

The victories highlight two very different but relatable organizations and fan bases. One a regional power with a die-hard fanbase that is looking for their first international victory in KC. The other, the last hope for an organization struggling financially and hoping to recapture their former glory in Dplus.

Whatever happens, it’s sure to be an incredible series today. Here’s how it came about:

Dplus vs. Karmine Corp in the EWC 26 finals

It doesn’t sound real, but an organization that isn’t even paying their players is in the grand finals of an international League of Legends event in 2026. The DPlus organization revealed on Thursday the full extent of their financial issues, revealing that rumors and reports that they haven’t been playing their players for the past month were indeed true.

While their corporate masters attempt to land a crucial acquisition that will sure up their bank accounts, Dplus’ players, including former world champion Heo "ShowMaker" Su, are inundated by memes about how the team is quite literally playing like the rent is due.

They’re being called volunteers, pro-bono pro players, interns, the list goes on. The point is that Dplus are playing like champions, and knocked Gen.G, the EWC 25 winners (and a partner team that’s getting a lot of support on-site) out of the tournament. And they did it in a 2-1 performance that felt like we’d traveled back in time six years.

Is this 2020? If you squint enough, this could be that Worlds-winning DAMWON team, with the same foibles and rough edges that made the 2020 victory so special. Or maybe the nostalgia is really starting to get to me, because of League Classic and because Heo "ShowMaker" Su was in the same game.

Meeting them in the finals is, of course, Karmine Corp. The French side came back from a huge deficite in a 1-1 match to beat reigning world champions T1 and Faker on stage at EWC. While it was obviously in large part due to the individual play of KC, the fans and the noise in the arena definitely played a part.

If you’re not on-site in Paris it’s very hard to communicate how loud and how passionate this KC fanbase is. They meet up hours before the games and chant until the event lets in. The blue wall is notionally in one section, but you can’t really move for blue and burnt umber KC jerseys when you’re walking around the convention center. Sunday is primed to be the loudest and most intense its ever been.

And the KC fans will have something to cheer for. Caliste "Caliste" Henry-Hennebert is a home-grown hero and playing like a world-class Bot laner in a tournament filled with under-performing legends. Caliste was truly forged by the intense French LoL scene and winning a tournament here in front of a local audience feels like nothing short of pre-ordained.

In the third place match, Gen.G will face T1. The clash of these two titans would likely be expected to be the grand finals, rather than the morning side-show on finals day, with the Chovy versus Faker rivalry aped across the EWC production and punditry accounts. But in reality, it’ll be surprising if this third place match is anything more than a tired showmatch.

I’d love to be wrong - And this is just a few hours removed from a Football World Cup third-place match-up in which England and France produced one of the greatest games of international football ever. If T1 and Gen.G can come close it’ll be a miracle.