T1 (originally called SK Telecom T1 or SKT T1) is a South Korean esports team run by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a partnership between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor. The team that became SKT T1 was first created in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion. In December 2003, the team was renamed 4 Union. In April 2004, SK Telecom began supporting the team, leading to its official name change to SK Telecom T1.

T1's League of Legends team has won six League of Legends World Championship titles (2013, 2015, 2016, 2023, 2024, and 2025) and ten League of Legends Champions Korea championships, both records. They have also won two Mid-Season Invitational titles (2016 and 2017), one Esports World Cup title (2024), and one KeSPA Cup (2025).

History

The team that would become T1 was first started in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan. It was called Team Orion at first, but the name changed to 4 Union in December 2003. On April 13, 2004, South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom supported the team with a $2 million investment, officially forming the team known as SK Telecom T1. By May 2005, the team was estimated to be worth about $15 million in value.

On December 13, 2012, SK Telecom entered the League of Legends esports scene by buying the team Eat Sleep Game and creating SK Telecom T1 S. On February 26, 2013, they formed a second League of Legends team called SK Telecom T1 K.

In 2016, SK Telecom closed its StarCraft II division after KeSPA announced the end of the Proleague.

In 2018, SK Telecom T1 expanded into two new esports. They created a Hearthstone team on July 29 and a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds team on August 13. By 2019, SKT T1 had teams in at least eight games, including League of Legends, Fortnite, Dota 2, Super Smash Bros., and Apex Legends.

In October 2019, SK Telecom T1 changed its name to T1 after SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor partnered to form T1 Entertainment & Sports. Joe Marsh became the CEO of the new company. In February 2020, League of Legends player Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok joined as a part-owner of T1 Entertainment & Sports.

On March 9, 2020, T1 signed its first player for its new Valorant team.

On May 6, 2024, the Esports World Cup Foundation, supported by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and the organizers of the Esports World Cup, announced 30 organizations that would join the World Cup Club Support Program. T1 was one of these organizations. This program gives teams a one-time payment of six figures if they agree to enter new esports, and additional yearly funding if they help increase viewership and fan interest for the Esports World Cup.

League of Legends

On December 13, 2012, SK Telecom joined League of Legends esports by buying the team members from Eat Sleep Game and created a new team called SK Telecom T1 S. On February 26, 2013, they formed a second team named SK Telecom T1 K. In the same year, SKT T1 won their first League of Legends World Championship. In 2014, SK Telecom T1 K continued their success by winning the OGN winter season without losing any games. They later won All-Star Paris 2014. However, after the Spring and Summer seasons, SKT T1 K did not qualify for the 2014 World Championship. During the next offseason, Riot Games changed the rules to allow only one team per organization in each league. This caused SKT T1 K and SKT T1 S to merge, and players Impact and Piglet left to join the NA LCS. The new team competed as SKT T1.

At the 2015 World Championship, SKT won the title, losing only one game in the finals. Their tournament record was 15 wins and 1 loss.

SKT started the 2016 season by winning the LCK Spring Split. This victory guaranteed them a spot in the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational, a tournament they had not yet won. They were expected to perform well but struggled in the group stage. They later recovered and won the tournament by defeating the North American team, Counter Logic Gaming, in the finals. SKT finished third in the 2016 LCK Summer Split but still qualified for the 2016 World Championship through circuit points. They won all their group stage games and advanced to the playoffs. In the semifinals, they defeated ROX Tigers in a 3–2 series. In the finals, they beat Samsung Galaxy in another 3–2 series, winning their third world championship. Faker was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

In 2017, SKT won the LCK Spring Split by defeating KT Rolster 3–0 in the finals. This qualified them for the 2017 Mid-Season Invitational. They finished the group stage with an 8–2 record and won the tournament by defeating Flash Wolves 3–0 in the semifinals and G2 Esports 3–1 in the finals. This made them the first team to win the Mid-Season Invitational twice in a row. At the 2017 World Championship, SKT was expected to win a third consecutive title but lost to Samsung Galaxy 3–0 in the finals.

In 2018, SKT lost to Gen.G in the Korea Regional Finals and did not qualify for the 2018 World Championship.

In April 2019, SKT won the LCK Spring Split and represented the LCK at the 2019 Mid-Season Invitational. They finished second in the group stage but lost 3–2 to G2 Esports in the semifinals. In the LCK Summer Split, SKT won again and qualified as the LCK’s first seed for the 2019 World Championship. They lost to G2 Esports in the semifinals, losing 3–1.

In October 2019, SKT rebranded as T1 after partnering with Comcast Spectacor. In February 2020, Faker signed with the team for three years, ending in 2022. He also became a part owner of T1 Entertainment and Sports. In April 2020, T1 defeated Gen.G and won their ninth LCK title.

At the 2021 World Championship, T1 was eliminated in the semifinals by DWG KIA, losing 3–2.

During the 2022 LCK Spring, T1 went undefeated in the regular season with an 18–0 record, the first team to achieve this since the league began. In the playoffs, they won their tenth LCK title by defeating Gen.G 3–1 in the finals. At the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational, T1 lost to Royal Never Give Up in the final. At the 2022 World Championship, T1 finished as runners-up after losing 3–2 to DRX in the final. They qualified as the second seed from the LCK due to having the most Championship Points.

In the 2023 LCK Spring Split, T1 qualified for the playoffs as the first seed with a 17–1 record. All five team members were selected for the All-LCK First Team, a first in LCK history. They won every series to advance to the finals, qualifying for the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational after defeating Gen.G in the upper bracket semifinals. T1 lost the Spring Split title to Gen.G in a rematch of the 2022 LCK Summer finals, with Gen.G winning 3–1. T1 later lost to JD Gaming and Bilibili Gaming, exiting the Mid-Season Invitational at the loser-bracket final. At the 2023 World Championship, T1 won their fourth World Championship title after defeating Weibo Gaming 3–0 in the finals held in Seoul. T1’s top laner, Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, was named finals MVP.

At the 2024 World Championship, T1 won their fifth title after defeating Bilibili Gaming 3–2 in the final held in London. Faker was named finals MVP for the second time. In 2025, T1 won their sixth and third consecutive title by defeating KT Rolster 3–2 in the "Telecom Derby."

StarCraft

The StarCraft team of SKT was created in 2002 by player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan. It was first called Team Orion and later changed its name to 4 Union in December 2003. The team won the first StarCraft Proleague tournament. By 2011, it had won more championships than any other team in Brood War history.

In 2016, SKT closed its StarCraft II team because the Proleague ended.

Valorant

In March 2025, the team achieved victory in its first international competition. They beat G2 Esports with a score of 3 to 2 in the final match of Valorant Masters Bangkok.

Literature

• Lim Yo-hwan (May 21, 2007). "나만큼 미쳐봐" [Be as crazy as me] (in Korean). Bookroad. ISBN 978-89-91239-15-9.