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We said this final would be close, and it went the distance. T1 Academy beat Solary 3-2 to lift the WSCI 2026 trophy, coming back from 2-1 down in a series where Solary looked to have taken the mental upper hand after game 3. Comebacks in best-of-fives seem to be part of the T1 DNA, and the academy roster just added one to the list.
T1 Academy strike first, Solary hit back harder
Game 1 was a stomp. T1 Academy came into the series far better prepared, with Moon "Guti" Jeong-hwan and Moon "Cloud" Hyeon-ho especially impressive in teamfights. Guti's Cassiopeia fight at the dragon was the moment that broke Solary's spirit in that opener.
Solary did not stay down for long. Carried by an excellent Kim "Piero" Jung-hun, they gave T1 Academy nothing in games 2 and 3. On Renata in game 2, he set up the engage combos that let Solary win fight after fight and level the series. He switched to Alistar for game 3 and every one of his engages was clutch, catching T1 Academy before they could set up. The result was brutal: 27 kills to 2 in 22 minutes.
Eclipse turns the series around
The bot lane decided this final. Kim "Eclipse" Min-jun, often seen as the weak link of T1 Academy, was nowhere to be found in games 2 and 3. Then the youngest player on the roster took over games 4 and 5 on Xayah and Kai'Sa, winning his matchup against an Berat "Aetinoth" Tıknazoğlu who was in good form himself. That turnaround earned him the Finals MVP award. In the post-game interview, the 17-year-old ADC explained his mindset during the series:
I knew that Solary would do some tricks to try to take over the bot, but I tried to stay calm and play my game.
Solary had the momentum and could not close. Their end of series fell apart, with Kang "Jool" Dong-soo struggling through the last two games and Lanzo "Zicssi" Ciajolo mechanical misplay in the dragon pit in game 5.
It was still a spectacular final and a promising one for both teams. Most of these players will probably be playing in a higher league next year.
What's next for Solary
Solary get no time to rest. They are back on stage on Sunday in EMEA Masters, only days after a five-game final they were one win away from taking. That leaves very little room to digest the loss, and the way games 4 and 5 slipped away will have to be put aside quickly.
