T1 vs KT Rolster — The legendary telecom war returns for the 2025 Worlds Grand Final

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On November 9, T1 and KT Rolster will clash in the grand final of the 2025 League of Legends World Championship, where the season’s best team will finally be crowned. The fight for the title promises to be fierce, and the hype is only intensified by the historic rivalry between these two Korean powerhouses. In this article, Esports Charts dives into the roots of the T1-KT feud, the meaning behind the legendary “Telecom wars”, and what to expect from their long-awaited showdown this year.

The oldest esports clubs in South Korea

To truly understand the rivalry between T1 and KT Rolster, you have to look back at the early days of esports itself. In the early 2000s, both clubs were among the pioneers of the competitive gaming scene. Their feud began in StarCraft: Brood War, which dominated South Korea’s gaming landscape at the time. Televised leagues and tournaments were drawing massive audiences, and professional gamers were celebrated as national celebrities, on par with athletes and pop stars.

The esports boom in South Korea was so massive that major corporations started building their own teams to connect with younger audiences. One of them was the telecommunications giant Korea Telecom, which sponsored its own roster under the name KTF MagicNs (after KT Rolster). 

During the StarCraft: Brood War era, KTF was home to some of the game’s most legendary players (Hong “YellOw” Jin-Ho, Park “Reach” Jeong Seok, Kang “Nal_rA” Min, and others), names that are forever etched in esports history. While younger fans today might not recognize them, these players once had tens of thousands of fans across the globe. Backed by deep corporate pockets, KTF could afford to sign virtually any Brood War superstar, a strategy that earned the team comparisons to football’s Real Madrid for its star-studded lineup and ambitious spending.

SKT1.BoxeR and KTF.YellOw — the rivalry that started it all / Photo: tl.net

Not long after KTF entered the esports scene, another telecom giant stepped into the spotlight, SK Telecom. Its StarCraft: Brood War roster SKT1 (after T1) was led by none other than Lim “BoxeR” Yo Hwan, the legendary Terran player and one of the game’s first true icons. A master of strategy and microcontrol, BoxeR fearlessly challenged KTF’s star-studded lineup, igniting what would become one of esports’ most famous rivalries: a battle between South Korea’s two biggest telecommunications giants.

Over the years, both teams have had their highs and lows, roster shake-ups, and even name and game changes: after leaving StarCraft, the rivalry found new life in League of Legends. Today, the “Telecom war” stands as more than just a match: it’s a legacy. It represents decades of competition, emotion and the very best traditions of South Korean esports.

Long-standing rivalry in League of Legends

League of Legends has long become the new stage for the Telecom Wars, and the rivalry between T1 and KT Rolster remains every bit as intense as it was in the StarCraft days. They’re the only two teams that have competed continuously on the professional scene since the inaugural LCK season in 2015.

That said, the success stories of T1 and KT Rolster in League of Legends couldn’t be more different. T1 has accomplished far more over the years, with multiple LCK titles, two Mid-Season Invitational championships and an incredible five World Championship trophies to its name.

By comparison, KT’s record looks far more modest. Before this year, the team had qualified for the World Championship only three times, each time falling short in the quarterfinals. For T1, reaching the Worlds final has almost become routine, but for KT Rolster, making it to the 2025 World Championship Grand Final marks the biggest milestone in the organization’s history.

It’s worth noting that T1 is partly responsible for KT Rolster’s limited experience on the international stage, a fact that only intensifies their long-standing rivalry. Time and time again, T1 has been shattering KT’s hopes of qualifying for global tournaments.

In the LCK Summer 2015 final, T1 defeated KT to claim the region’s only ticket to Worlds 2015. A similar story played out in the LCK Spring 2017 final, where T1 once again came out on top and advanced to the Mid-Season Invitational. The pattern continued in crucial matches during LCK Spring 2016 and LCK Summer 2017, with T1 repeatedly standing in KT’s way and denying them a chance to compete internationally.

That pattern has carried over into recent years as well. T1 kept KT Rolster from qualifying for MSI 2023, MSI 2025, and Worlds 2024, though KT eventually clawed its way into the 2024 tournament through the Regional Final.

Between 2020 and 2025, the two teams faced each other 31 times in official matches (not counting the 2025 Worlds Grand Final). The results speak for themselves: T1 has dominated the rivalry with 24 series wins, while KT Rolster has taken just 7.

As history shows, T1 has long been the biggest obstacle standing in KT Rolster’s way. It’s hard to imagine the level of frustration and determination within an organization that’s spent over a decade repeatedly falling just short against its fiercest rival.

That said, it’s not like KT has gone down quietly. Many of their clashes with T1 have been nail-biters, often ending 3:2 and proving that KT was always just a step away from victory. Maybe, just maybe, the 2025 World Championship final will be the moment when KT finally breaks the curse and earns the redemption they’ve been chasing for years.

Who’s going to win Worlds 2025?

Many League of Legends fans fully expected T1 to make it to the 2025 World Championship final. After all, in recent years, Faker’s squad has won more world titles than LCK trophies. KT, on the other hand, didn’t inspire the same confidence, and that was clear from the modest viewership numbers during their games.

KT and T1 took very different routes to the 2025 World Championship final. KT’s journey was relatively smooth: in the Swiss Stage, they cruised past KOI and Secret Whales, then easily secured a Knockout Stage spot by defeating China’s Top Esports Gaming, a team that has regularly struggled against Korean opponents.

In the first round of the Knockout Stage, KT faced CTBC Flying Oyster, the tournament’s biggest underdog. KT didn’t meet their first real challenge until the semifinals, where they went up against Gen.G. Going into the match, Gen.G were the clear favorites, not just for the series, but for the entire tournament. Yet KT pulled off a major upset, toppling South Korea’s strongest team. Historically, KT tends to perform better against Gen.G than against T1, and the stats back that up. 

KT Rolster players after their victory and advancing to the finals at League of Legends Worlds 2025 / Photo: Riot Games

T1’s road to the 2025 World Championship was anything but easy. Faker and his teammates were on the verge of missing the event altogether, securing their spot only after the Play-In stage by defeating Invictus Gaming. Their run through the Swiss Stage wasn’t smooth either. After opening with a win over FlyQuest, T1 dropped two straight matches to CTBC Flying Oyster and Gen.G: two teams with completely different levels of experience and tournament expectations. It means, they lost to both the grand and underdog, leaving fans confused on what to actually expect from the team.

At that point, T1 was just one series away from elimination. But when it mattered most, the squad pulled it together, taking down 100 Thieves and KOI in back-to-back bo3s to stay alive. In the Knockout Stage team came dangerously close to elimination against Anyone’s Legend, an ambitious Chinese newcomer that impressed in the Swiss Stage by defeating two South Korean squads. Fortunately for T1 fans, Faker and his teammates handled the pressure and moved on. The semifinals, however, were a much smoother ride. Top Esports Gaming once again struggled against a Korean opponent, and T1 cruised to a comfortable victory to secure their spot in the grand final.

T1.Faker walk onstage at Worlds 2025 Semifinal / Photo: Riot Games

So, who’s taking the trophy home? It’s nearly impossible to make a clear prediction. History leans heavily in T1’s favor, who have been here many times before and usually walk away with the title. KT’s run to the final, on the other hand, feels almost like an anomaly, something that defies stats and logic alike. But maybe, just maybe, this is the year when the balance finally shifts — when KT writes a new chapter in the storied history of the Telecom Wars.

The 2025 World Championship grand final between T1 and KT is set to begin on November 9 at 7:00 a.m. GMT. Fans can follow the action live and track viewership stats for the entire tournament on the Esports Charts event page.