Meanwhile, T1 and Gen.G will still go head-to-head to determine who will become EWC 2026's third place finisher.
The Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 League of Legends (LoL) Grand Final is set after a day of upsets in Paris, France, where hometown favourites 
Karmine Corp and fellow underdogs 
Dplus KIA knocked out tournament heavyweights 
T1 and 
Gen.G to keep their championship dreams alive.
Karmine Corp stunned defending world champions T1 2-1 in front of a packed home crowd, before DPlus followed suit with a 2-1 upset over EWC 2025 defending champions Gen.G to complete a day of shocks in Paris.
Hometown heroes Karmine Corp stun T1 in front of the Paris crowd
T1 looked set for another Grand Final appearance after making a commanding start to the series. 
Moon “Oner” Hyeon-joon's Xin Zhao dictated the pace from the jungle, while Hyeon-joon “Doran” Choi's Jayce consistently found crucial damage in skirmishes to help the LCK side gradually pull away despite Karmine Corp keeping pace for much of the early game. After a 34-minute encounter, T1 destroyed Karmine Corp's Nexus with a 13,100 gold lead and a 28-15 kill lead to take the opening game.
Roared on by the Paris crowd, Karmine Corp responded emphatically in Game 2 to force a deciding match. 
Caliste “Caliste” Henry-Hennebert's Ezreal led the charge for the hometown side, while 
Alan “Busio” Cwalina's Bard repeatedly found crucial catches to keep T1 on the back foot and prevent the defending world champions from building any momentum. After 31 minutes, Karmine Corp destroyed T1's Nexus with a 9,000 gold lead and a 23-11 kill lead to level the series.
With a place in the Grand Final on the line, the deciding game delivered a tense back-and-forth battle as neither side managed to seize complete control. Caliste once again stepped up on Lucian, while Su-hwan “Peyz” Kim's Xayah kept T1 in the fight as the two teams traded blows throughout the match. In the end, Karmine Corp found the decisive teamfight to break open T1's base and complete the upset in front of the home crowd. After a 39-minute battle, Karmine Corp destroyed T1's Nexus to win the series and book their place in the Esports World Cup 2026 League of Legends Grand Final.
DPlus deny Gen.G to book Grand Final showdown with Karmine Corp
The second semifinal between Gen.G and DPlus proved just as closely contested, with the two LCK rivals trading objectives and teamfights throughout a tense opening game. Neither side was able to build a meaningful advantage until the decisive fight around the Elder Dragon, where DPlus turned what looked like a losing engagement into a clean ace. With ShowMaker already working through Gen.G's inhibitor turrets as the fight unfolded, DPlus marched straight into the enemy base to end the game. After a 48-minute battle, DPlus destroyed Gen.G's Nexus with a 20-16 kill lead to take the opening game.
Gen.G answered back in Game 2, but DPlus refused to make things easy. While Gen.G relied on patient macro play to gradually build advantages across the map, DPlus repeatedly found opportunities to claw their way back into the game, with ShowMaker continuing to make life difficult for the LCK champions. Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu proved instrumental in keeping Gen.G in control, and a decisive late-game teamfight finally broke the deadlock, allowing Gen.G to secure both the Elder Dragon and Baron before pushing into DPlus' base. After a 40-minute encounter, Gen.G destroyed DPlus' Nexus with a 17-14 kill lead to level the series.
With the final Grand Final spot on the line, the deciding game remained close through the opening stages before DPlus gradually wrestled control away through a string of successful teamfights. The LCK underdogs built a commanding 7,000-gold advantage and came within touching distance of ending the game, only for Canyon and the rest of Gen.G to mount a desperate defence to keep their Nexus standing. Gen.G attempted to delay DPlus by contesting Baron, but after catching Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon, DPlus secured the objective before mounting one final push into the enemy base. After a 37-minute battle, DPlus destroyed Gen.G's Nexus with a 19-9 kill lead to win the series and book their place in the Grand Final.
With their wins, Karmine Corp and DPlus are heading to the Esports World Cup 2026 League of Legends Grand Final in a bid to lift the championship trophy.
Meanwhile, T1 and Gen.G will face off in the third-place match to decide who rounds out the podium.
