Heo "Showmaker" Su (right), captain of Dplus Kia, on July 19 lifts the trophy after his team won the League of Legends final at the Esports World Cup at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in the French capital. (2026 Esports World Cup)

By Charles Audouin

Dplus KIA on July 19 destroyed France's Karmine Corp, 3-0, in the League of Legends (LoL) final at the Esports World Cup held at the convention center Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in the French capital.

The victory was Dplus Kia's first title in a LAN tournament this season and gave Korea a three-peat in the LoL event of the competition, following T1 and Gen.G.

Dplus Kia saw a dramatic run to the championship. After slipping to the bottom of its group early on, the team secured a playoff berth with consecutive wins over Brazil's Furia and Europe's G2 Esports. A quarterfinal win over China's Bilibili Gaming was followed by an upset of defending champion Gen.G in the semifinals.

Team captain Heo "Showmaker" Su said, "It's been five years since I last stood at the top of an international tournament, so I'm so proud and happy."

"The home crowd booed us when we entered the arena but this didn't bother us at all," Choi "Lucid" Yong-hyeok also said after the final. "We were confident that our performance could win over even the French fans."

Shin "Smash" Geum-jae, who was named Most Valuable Player for his play in the final, added, "Today's my birthday in Korean Standard Time, and I think this is the best birthday present of my life."

caudouin@korea.kr