HLE are now guaranteed at least second seed into Worlds.
The 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Season is almost over, with just one match remaining before the Grand Final.
Hanwha Life Esports and 
T1 meet once again in the Lower Bracket Final, with the winner earning one last shot at the LCK championship against Gen.G on Sunday (13 September).
In the end, HLE have once again taken down T1 3-1 to make it to the Grand Final.
The two teams have already faced each other once during the playoffs. HLE entered the postseason as the second-placed team from the regular season and skipped the opening round before completing a 3-2 reverse sweep of T1. They then faced 
Gen.G in the Upper Bracket Final, where a 3-1 loss sent them down to the Lower Bracket Final.
T1, meanwhile, were forced to take the longer route after that loss to HLE. They continued their run through the lower bracket and most recently eliminated 
Dplus KIA in Lower Bracket Round 3 to earn another meeting with HLE, this time with a place in the Grand Final on the line.
HLE outlast T1 in a 48-minute Game 1
The first game was a lengthy back-and-forth encounter, with both teams trying to find openings throughout the match. HLE were mostly in control, however, maintaining a healthy gold lead while T1 were repeatedly forced to play catch-up.
T1 continued to hold on deep into the game, but a team fight around the Dragon pit eventually went sideways. HLE cleaned up T1 in the jungle and finally found the opening they needed to close out the game.
After a gruelling 48-minute battle, HLE destroyed T1's Nexus with a 19-13 kill lead to take the opening game of the series.
HLE take Game 2 to move onto match point
T1 got off to a much better start in Game 2, taking control of early map objectives and coming out ahead in several team fights to build an advantage.
HLE kept themselves in the game through a number of crucial picks before Zeus found an angle to catch T1 by surprise, allowing his team to take down two members and eventually secure Baron.
From there, HLE continued to ramp up the pressure. Their superior team fighting allowed them to win fight after fight and break open T1's base relatively early.
T1 made one final attempt to turn the game around, but Zeus and Zeka once again helped set HLE up for success before Gumayusi and Delight cleaned up the remaining members of T1 in the mid lane.
HLE then marched into T1's base and destroyed the Nexus in under 30 minutes with a 14-9 kill lead, taking a 2-0 series advantage and moving onto match point.
T1 fight back in Game 3 to extend the series
HLE once again found the better start in Game 3, outplaying T1 several times during the early game to take the initial advantage.
However, T1 found an opportunity around Baron in the mid game, punishing HLE's mistakes to swing momentum back in their favour and keep their Grand Final hopes alive. Messy team fights erupted here and there, with some going in T1's favour and others in HLE's favour. Backs against the wall, T1 finally were able to rally and win crucial, consecutive team fights to turn the tide to their favour. Doran fl after a 31-minute encounter with a 24-18 kill lead, T1 marched down HLE's Nexus to finally destroy their first Nexus of the series and win the third game and extend the series.
T1 once again struggled to keep pace in Game 4, with HLE finding an answer to nearly every play they attempted throughout the match. Although T1 tried to find their targets in several team fights, HLE consistently came out ahead. After a fight over the Elder Dragon, HLE cleaned up T1 and marched down their base, destroying the Nexus in 29 minutes with a dominant 16-2 kill lead to win Game 4 and close out the series.
With their win, Hanwha Life Esports have become the second grand finalist of the 2026 LCK Season Playoffs. They will face Gen.G in the Grand Final on Sunday (13 September) and will be guaranteed at least the second seed into Worlds 2026.
Meanwhile, T1 bow out of the competition in third place and will represent the LCK as the region's third seed at Worlds 2026.
