Why Can't Anyone Defend Worlds Except T1?

Fifteen Worlds. Nine different organizations have won it. Only one has ever defended it. I went through what happened to every League of Legends world champion the year after they won: the Korean exodus, the 3–15 season, the teams that kept everyone and still fell. Then I did the math on whether the "curse" is real, and simulated Worlds 2026 10,000 times to see if T1 can make it four. Chapters 0:00 Cold open 1:15 The first kings (2011–2013) 2:23 The Korean exodus (2014) 3:31 SKT's dynasty and Samsung's revenge (2015–2017) 4:26 Keeping the team together (2018–2021) 5:25 Deft and DRX (2022) 6:26 Is it a curse? 7:03 T1: the exception (2023–2025) 7:48 Worlds 2026: can T1 make it four? Sources Results, rosters and dates: Leaguepedia (lol.fandom.com), Liquipedia, Wikipedia (League of Legends World Championship 2011–2025 pages) Headlines and quotes: GosuGamers (Nov 2014; Nov 2024), Inven Global (Nov 2022, Deft; Nov 2025), Strafe (Oct 2023), Ballers.ph (Aug 2020) The math: if you win 6 games in 10 against every opponent, you win a best-of-five ~68% of the time and three in a row ~32%. Odds: Farsight's Worlds model (Elo ratings from every 2026 pro game via Leaguepedia), 10,000 simulated tournaments of the knockout bracket, as of the quarterfinal draw (Oct 31, 2026). Clips used for commentary: LoL Esports, OGN, theScore esports, ESPN Esports, Doublelift, Tyler1. Music courtesy of Riot Games: World Championship 2019 Orchestral Theme, Eyes on Worlds 2017 Theme, Daylight's End, Summoner's Call, Eyes on Worlds Theme 2018, Reborn, PROJECT: Overcharge – Suite. Farsight was created under Riot Games' "Legal Jibber Jabber" policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project.