Karmine Corp fell short in front of the Paris crowd as Dplus KIA controlled the League of Legends EWC 2026 grand final.
Dplus KIA have completed one of the most unexpected title runs of the Esports World Cup 2026, sweeping Karmine Corp 3-0 in Paris to claim the League of Legends championship and the US$600,000 first prize.
The Korean squad entered the tournament well outside the group of leading contenders, but finished it without leaving any doubt in the grand final. Karmine Corp had the full force of the French crowd behind them, yet Dplus KIA controlled the series from the opening game and never allowed the home favourites to build real momentum.
Readers can revisit the matchup through our League of Legends EWC grand-final betting tips, follow the wider tournament on our LoL Esports World Cup betting guide, or find more coverage on the main League of Legends betting page.
Two unlikely finalists rewrite the tournament script
Very few people would have picked Dplus KIA and Karmine Corp as the last two teams standing when the event began.
Both sides arrived in Paris after inconsistent performances at MSI 2026 and were widely viewed as being below the strongest representatives from their respective regions. Instead of accepting that position, they knocked out several of the biggest names in the field and turned the bracket on its head.
Karmine Corp gave the home fans a run to remember, eliminating T1 and Hanwha Life Esports on the way to the final. Dplus KIA produced an equally impressive path, getting past Bilibili Gaming and Gen.G to ensure the trophy match would feature two teams chasing their first major international title.
That made the final difficult to frame through reputation alone. Karmine Corp had the crowd, confidence and emotional momentum. Dplus KIA had already shown they could remain composed against elite opposition. Once the games began, that composure became the defining feature of the series.
Dplus KIA silence the Paris crowd
The atmosphere inside the arena heavily favoured Karmine Corp. The French supporters made their presence felt before the players had even reached the Rift, welcoming KC loudly while making it clear Dplus KIA were entering hostile territory.
None of it appeared to trouble the Korean lineup.
Dplus KIA were more settled in lane, faster to establish control around neutral objectives and far cleaner when converting small advantages into map pressure. Karmine Corp were rarely allowed to play at the frantic pace that had helped carry them through the earlier rounds.
Instead, Dplus KIA forced the series into a controlled rhythm. They built their leads carefully, removed KC’s room to make aggressive plays and repeatedly reached the later stages of each game with the map already leaning heavily in their favour.
The crowd kept searching for a moment that might spark a comeback, but Dplus KIA refused to offer one. Every attempted response was met with another objective, another successful rotation or another teamfight that pushed the French side further behind.
Game 3 turns the final into a rout
By the third game, Dplus KIA had complete control of the matchup.
The Korean champions built a lead of roughly 10,000 gold before the 25-minute mark, leaving Karmine Corp with almost no realistic route back into the game. The map had become too difficult to contest, and every attempt to force a play carried the risk of ending the series on the spot.
Dplus KIA did not rush the finish. They continued taking away resources, tightening their control and waiting for the clean opening rather than giving KC a desperate fight that could have changed the mood inside the arena.
When the final push arrived, there was little resistance left. Dplus KIA closed the map, completed the sweep and secured their first Esports World Cup championship in one of the most convincing finals of the event so far.
Smash earns MVP after dominant final
Bot laner Shin “Smash” Geum-jae was named Sony MVP after delivering the strongest individual performance of the championship series.
Smash finished the three games with an 8.1 KDA and was involved in 69.8% of Dplus KIA’s kills. He averaged 836 damage per minute and accounted for 28.4% of his team’s total damage, giving Karmine Corp a problem they never found a reliable way to solve.
His impact went beyond the raw numbers. Smash remained safe when KC looked for picks, positioned well through the decisive teamfights and consistently gave Dplus KIA the damage needed to finish objectives and close games.
The timing made the victory even more memorable. The final fell on Smash’s birthday in Korea, allowing him to celebrate the biggest title of his career and an MVP award on the same day.
Karmine Corp fall short after memorable home run
The scoreline will hurt, but Karmine Corp’s tournament should still be viewed as a major step forward.
They entered the competition with limited expectations and went on to eliminate some of the strongest teams in the world. Doing it in Paris, with the Blue Wall behind them through every stage of the bracket, made the run one of the defining stories of the League of Legends tournament.
The final exposed the gap that still exists between a fearless knockout run and the control required to finish a major international event. KC could not create the same early pressure that had troubled their previous opponents, and once Dplus KIA began dictating the map, the French side struggled to change the tempo.
Even so, reaching the grand final after beating T1 and Hanwha Life was far more than most expected from Karmine Corp. They leave with US$350,000 as runners-up and proof that they can compete with the best teams outside Europe when their style comes together.
Dplus KIA collect 1,000 Club Championship points
Dplus KIA’s victory added 1,000 points to their Esports World Cup Club Championship total, while Karmine Corp collected 750 points for finishing second.
The Korean organisation’s total is unlikely to grow further, as League of Legends is its only competition at EWC 2026. That limits its wider Club Championship campaign even after winning one of the biggest trophies on the schedule.
Karmine Corp still have another opportunity to add points later in the festival through Rocket League. Their early exit from VALORANT left them without points from that tournament, making the League of Legends runner-up result especially important for their overall position.
The Club Championship rewards organisations capable of producing results across several different games, so both teams will now rely on the rest of their EWC representation, or lack of it, to determine how much their Paris runs matter in the final standings.
Riot Games action continues with Teamfight Tactics
The League of Legends and VALORANT tournaments are now complete, but Riot Games competition at EWC 2026 is not finished.
Teamfight Tactics at the Esports World Cup begins on July 21, bringing another international field to Paris as the wider festival moves into its next stage.
For Dplus KIA, the attention can remain on the trophy. They arrived as outsiders, eliminated two of the tournament favourites and then swept the home team in front of one of the loudest crowds of the event.
The road to the final was unexpected. The result once they got there was anything but close.
Ky Pitstock
Sports Betting Writer
Kynan 'Ky' Pitstock is a sports and racing writer covering thoroughbred racing and Formula 1 for EsportBet and its sister properties. Kevin Pitstock's son, Ky grew up embedded in the Australian racing industry and brings an insider's knowledge to every piece.
