This win will make Gen.G the LCK's first seed into Worlds and HLE the second seed.
Gen.G are the 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Season Champions after defeating 
Hanwha Life Esports 3-1 in the Grand Final on Sunday (13 September).
Gen.G entered the Grand Final through the upper bracket after a dominant Playoffs run. They swept 
KT Rolster 3-0 before defeating HLE 3-1 in the Upper Bracket Final, becoming the first team to book their place in the Grand Final.
Hanwha Life Esports, meanwhile, were forced into the lower bracket following their loss to Gen.G. They bounced back in the Lower Bracket Final by defeating 
T1 to secure another shot at Gen.G, while also guaranteeing themselves at least second seed into Worlds 2026.
Here’s how the games went:
Hanwha Life Esports take Game 1 after decisive Baron fight
The opening of the first game started pretty slowly, with both teams mostly farming for the first few minutes, alongside a few attempts at early-game ganks. As the game progressed into the mid-game, both teams tried to outplay each other in team fights, keeping the gold gap between them to a minimum.
Team fights continued to erupt across the map, with HLE pulling ahead slightly. However, Gen.G always found opportunities to keep up, with Ruler making heroic plays whenever he could.
It ultimately proved to be not enough, with Hanwha Life overpowering Gen.G in a fight at the Baron pit. This allowed them to march down Gen.G’s base and destroy the enemy Nexus after a 38-minute encounter, with an equal 13-13 kill score.
Gen.G shut HLE down in Game 2 to tie the series
In the second game, both teams were more proactive in attempting to gain an advantage over their opponents in the early game. However, towards the mid-game, it was Gen.G that pulled ahead, finding more success in boxing HLE out of important objectives and outplaying them in team fights.
Gen.G snowballed into the late game, with 
Jeong “Chovy” Ji-hoon’s Lissandra popping off and keeping HLE from finding an opportunity to make a comeback. After a 30-minute encounter, Gen.G took down HLE’s Nexus with a 24-5 kill lead.
Gen.G’s Zeri-Yuumi breaks open Game 3 to reach match point
In the third game, both teams went for popular ADC-focused picks, with HLE going for Ashe-Seraphine and Gen.G opting for Zeri-Yuumi. Once again, both teams were mostly even in the early game, but continued trying to outplay each other as the match progressed.
However, Park “Ruler” Jae-Hyuk and Joo “Duro” Min-Kyu’s Zeri-Yuumi combination proved too oppressive, eventually outpacing their opponents with their attack and movement speed. This allowed Gen.G to gain the upper hand, with even Choi “Zeus” Woo-je’s Dr. Mundo unable to withstand the pressure from Gen.G.
After taking the Baron, Gen.G decimated HLE’s turrets, opening up their base through the top and mid lanes. HLE were still able to defend their base for a while, but one more explosive team fight ended their hopes of a comeback.
After just 26 minutes, with a 16-5 kill lead, Gen.G destroyed HLE’s Nexus to win the third game and move to match point.
Gen.G punish HLE’s mistakes in Game 4 to seal the series
Both teams traded blows during the opening minutes of the fourth game, with HLE looking to snowball Kim “Zeka” Geon-woo’s Locke as quickly as possible, while Gen.G focused on bringing Kim “Kiin” Gi-in’s Gwen online faster.
Messy team fights broke out across the map, but Gen.G kept their composure and punished HLE’s mistakes to pull ahead heading into the mid-game. Gen.G continued to control the map while shutting down HLE’s attempts to wrestle back momentum.
After a 28-minute encounter, with a 14-5 kill lead, Gen.G took down HLE’s Nexus to win the fourth game and close out the series.
With their win, Gen.G have claimed the 2026 LCK Season championship and become the LCK’s first seed into Worlds 2026. This win marks Gen.G's seventh LCK title. Ruler has been named the LCK Finals MVP, receiving the LCK Golden Dew Necklace as a reward.
Meanwhile, Hanwha Life Esports bow out of the competition in second place and will be the LCK’s second seed into Worlds 2026.
