Korea wins Asian Games LoL without losing a single match
Korea defeated Taiwan 3-0 to retain its League of Legends Asian Games title without dropping a set.
Korean esports players celebrate after winning the gold medal in League of Legends (LoL) at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi, Japan, on Oct. 2.
YONHAP
Korea’s League of Legends (LoL) team, led by global esports star Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok, won its second consecutive Asian Games gold medal.
Korea defeated Taiwan 3-0 in the LoL final at Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Friday to take gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. Korea had swept its opponents in the group stage, semifinal and final and did not drop a single set throughout the tournament.
The victory marked Korea’s second consecutive Asian Games title following its gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, when esports was included as an official medal event for the first time.
Korea started Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, over Faker, with both players competing as mid laners.
Korea was pushed to the brink of defeat early in the first set as Taiwan executed a coordinated attack. Korea conceded three kills in succession to Taiwan’s Chiu "Doggo" Tzuchuan, before giving up another two kills in a team fight at around the 18-minute mark, allowing Taiwan to secure its third consecutive dragon buff.
The momentum shifted at around the 23-minute mark. Choi "Zeus" Woo-je pressured Chiu’s Jhin during a team fight near the dragon, putting Korea in an advantageous position. Teamwork between Zeus and Zeka then helped Korea wipe out the entire Taiwanese team. Korea stormed Taiwan’s base at around the 34-minute mark and destroyed the Nexus to take the opening set.
Korea again found itself at a slight disadvantage early in the second set but regained control after the 20-minute mark. Kim "Canyon" Geon-bu successfully stole the dragon at around the 33-minute mark, giving Korea the upper hand. With the dragon buff, Korea wiped out the Taiwanese team and immediately pushed into its empty base to take the second set.
Korea seized control of the third set at around the 22-minute mark, when Zeka and Canyon wiped out Taiwan while Zeus tied down its key players. Canyon then eliminated Taiwanese jungler JunJia with 20 seconds remaining before the Elder Dragon spawned, allowing Korea to secure the Elder Dragon buff. Korea pushed straight into Taiwan’s base and closed out the set in 30 minutes.
Korea finished the Asian Games esports competition with five medals — two golds, one silver and two bronzes — including its gold in League of Legends.
BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
