Korea’s League of Legends Team Sweeps Group Stage to Reach Asian Games Semifinals

South Korea’s League of Legends national team advanced to the semifinals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after completing the preliminary round with three consecutive victories.

The team, led by star player Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, finished first in its group after defeating Taiwan, India and Hong Kong. Korea beat Taiwan in 25 minutes, completed its match against India in 18 minutes and overcame Hong Kong in 22 minutes.

The clean sweep moved Korea into a semifinal against Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The squad is seeking a place in the final for the third consecutive Asian Games, reinforcing its status as one of the leading nations in competitive League of Legends.

Despite the one-sided results, the Korean players had to adjust to an unusually early competition schedule. Matches began as early as 9 a.m., several hours before the players would typically compete or practice. Lee said the team had needed to move its waking time forward by six to seven hours to prepare for the tournament timetable.

The change was visible during the opening day, with players appearing tired between matches. Lee said he woke at about 6:30 a.m., a time when he would ordinarily have gone to sleep only shortly beforehand. He compared the adjustment to dealing with jet lag even though South Korea and Japan are in the same time zone.

Lee nevertheless said the victory over Taiwan, viewed as Korea’s most significant group-stage test, improved the team’s prospects of winning the gold medal. Taiwan has traditionally been among Korea’s strongest regional competitors in League of Legends.

Esports has become an increasingly prominent medal discipline at the Asian Games, giving professional players the opportunity to represent their countries in an international multisport competition. League of Legends is among the most closely watched esports titles, and Korea’s roster entered the tournament under substantial expectations.

The semifinal will test whether Korea can maintain its quick match pace as the competition moves into the knockout stage. A victory over Saudi Arabia would send the team to another Asian Games final and leave it one match away from gold.