The League of Legends grand final of the 2026 Esports World Cup drew a peak of roughly 1.45 million concurrent viewers in Paris as South Korea's Dplus KIA swept France's Karmine Corp 3-0 on July 19 to claim the tournament's $600,000 top prize.
A Dominant Sweep in Paris
Closing out game three in 27 minutes
Held at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the League of Legends event featured eight teams competing in a GSL-style group stage. Dplus KIA reached the final by beating Bilibili Gaming 2-1 in the quarterfinals and edging Gen.G 2-1 in the semifinals, setting up a grand final against home favorite Karmine Corp.
Dplus KIA controlled the first two games from start to finish, giving Karmine Corp little room to build momentum. In the decisive third game, the Korean side eliminated Karmine Corp's champions four times within a six-minute span and closed out the match in just 27 minutes, denying the French team any chance of a comeback in front of its own crowd.
Ending a Five-Year Title Drought
ShowMaker's return to the top after 2020
Of the $2 million total League of Legends prize pool, Dplus KIA took home $600,000 while runner-up Karmine Corp received $340,000. The win marked the roster's first international title since it won the 2020 League of Legends World Championship under its former name, DAMWON Gaming.
Mid laner ShowMaker (Heo Su) said after the victory, "I am glad to win again after five years." The result also gave the organization its first domestic Korean title since the 2021 summer split. Dplus KIA's championship extended South Korea's three-year winning streak at the Esports World Cup, following T1's title in 2024 and Gen.G's in 2025.
MVP Honors for a Teenage Star
Smash's 8.1 KDA earns a $25,000 bonus
Dplus KIA bot laner Shin Geum-jae, known by his in-game name "Smash," was named tournament MVP and awarded an additional $25,000. The 19-year-old finished the event with an 8.1 KDA, a figure that reflected his consistent lane dominance across the group stage and playoffs.
Smash's individual form was a common thread in Dplus KIA's wins, as the team repeatedly translated early advantages secured in the bottom lane into full map control. That pattern was on clear display in the rapid third-game close against Karmine Corp, where the team's disciplined execution left no opening for a reversal.
Home Crowd Falls Short
Karmine Corp's "Blue Wall" cheers to the end
The broader 2026 Esports World Cup, running across 24 games from July through August 23, drew more than 2,000 players from over 200 clubs to Paris. Overall event viewership peaked near 1.45 million concurrent viewers, underlining the tournament's growing global reach beyond its previous home in Riyadh.
Karmine Corp's passionate fan group, known as the "Blue Wall" since its founding in 2021, packed the venue in support of the French club, which was itself founded in 2020. Despite the home-crowd energy, Karmine Corp could not match the Korean team's disciplined macro play across the series.
Dplus KIA's win in Paris reaffirmed South Korea's continued dominance in international League of Legends competition, and it arrives as a notable form indicator ahead of this year's World Championship, with the remaining Esports World Cup finals across other titles continuing at the same venue through August 23.
