T1 Esports Academy Wins the 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational

The LoL 2026 World Star Challengers Invitational tournament, which is an expansion of the ASCI series, has officially concluded. Organized by TJ Sports and Riot Games, the competition was held online with localization in South Korea from September 20 to October 2, 2026.

The tournament featured 16 of the best tier-2 teams from five regions: China, Korea, APAC, Americas, and EMEA. Matches were played on patch 26.18, with a total prize pool of $48,000. The competition consisted of a Double Round-Robin group stage (Bo1 format) and a Single Elimination playoff stage (Bo5 format).

T1 Esports Academy emerged as the champions, defeating Solary with a score of 3:2 in a tense Grand Final. For securing first place, T1 Esports Academy received the main prize of $20,000, while the silver medalists, Solary, earned $10,000. Third and fourth places were shared by SOOPers Challengers and Galions, each receiving $5,000.

A total of 74 matches were played throughout the tournament, with the blue side holding an advantage, boasting a 56.76% win rate compared to the red side's 43.24%. Key individual and gameplay statistics of the tournament include:

• Ambessa was the most popular champion, picked 28 times with an overall win rate of 67.86%.
• Rumble also appeared in drafts 28 times, but his win rate was significantly lower at 39.29%.
• Among the players, Aetinoth from Solary stood out prominently, leading with the highest average kills per game (6.94) and the highest damage per minute (960).
• Piero from Solary demonstrated the highest KDA (8.12) and the lowest deaths per game (1.94).
• The player with the most matches played in the tournament was Haetae from T1 Esports Academy, who played 19 games.

As a reminder, The Demacia Cup Global Invitational 2026 Starts Tomorrow: NAVI and Ukrainian Player Maynter Open the Tournament