Dplus KIA is one of the most storied organizations in League of Legends competitive history, a team whose identity was forged at the 2020 World Championship and tested repeatedly in the years that followed. In July 2026, at the Esports World Cup in Paris, they won their first international title since that Worlds crown, sweeping Karmine Corp 3-0 in the Grand Final to claim $600,000 and remind the world what this organization is capable of when it plays at its ceiling.
This is the full story: where DK came from, what they achieved, where they struggled, and what the EWC 2026 title means in the full context of the organization's history.
Origins: DAMWON Gaming, Founded 2017
Dplus KIA, formerly known as DWG KIA and DAMWON Gaming, is a South Korean professional esports organization. Its League of Legends team competes in the LCK, the top-level league for the game in South Korea. Founded on May 28, 2017.
DAMWON Gaming entered the Korean competitive scene without the pedigree of established organizations like SKT T1 or KT Rolster. They were newcomers, and they spent their early years building rather than winning. The roster that would eventually conquer the world was assembled gradually, with players developed through the organization's own pipeline rather than acquired as ready-made stars.
Since playing their first official match on June 5, 2017, the organization has established a formidable legacy, securing approximately 297 victories out of 450 matches played.
Worlds 2020: The Defining Moment
Everything in DK's history pivots around October 31, 2020.
Formerly known as DAMWON Gaming, the team achieved global supremacy by winning the League of Legends World Championship in 2020. Defined by a playstyle emphasizing overwhelming mechanical prowess and innovative strategy.
The team's peak era is highlighted by an impressive 16-match winning streak in late 2020, culminating in their greatest achievement: capturing the World Championship 2020 title on October 31, 2020, along with a prize of around $1,267,500.
The 2020 Worlds lineup was built around ShowMaker in the mid lane and Canyon in the jungle, with Nuguri in the top lane. The combination of mechanical dominance and deep strategic preparation produced a team that did not just win the 2020 World Championship: they did so in a way that changed how the game was analyzed and played at the highest level. ShowMaker became one of the most referenced mid laners in the game's history.
Championships: 1× World Championship (2020), 3× LCK (Summer 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021).
The Rebrand: DAMWON KIA, Then Dplus KIA
They are currently competing under the name Dplus KIA due to a title sponsorship with Kia. Originally renaming from DAMWON Gaming to DWG KIA before their rebrand to Dplus KIA.
The partnership with KIA Motors, one of South Korea's most prominent automotive brands, brought structural stability and visibility to the organization. The rebranding was sequential: DAMWON Gaming became DWG KIA, then Dplus KIA as the organization expanded its identity beyond a single game.
The Difficult Years: 2022 to 2025
After the back-to-back LCK titles in 2021, DK's trajectory became less consistent. Roster changes, the departure of key players including Canyon and Nuguri to other organizations, and the relentless competition within the LCK created a period where the organization remained competitive but rarely challenged for domestic or international supremacy the way they had in 2020 and 2021.
This is DK's first international title since 2020, and it was won while the organization is in the middle of a sale process and players were owed a month's salary.
DK arrived as outsiders after a low finish in the LCK regular season. The run has been read as the spirit of DAMWON Gaming returning to a team that had struggled to assert itself even regionally.
Missing Worlds 2025 for the first time in the organization's history was the low point. An organization built on international ambition failing to qualify for the World Championship is a significant moment that forces introspection. The response, delivered at EWC 2026, was definitive.
The EWC 2026 Run: From Outsiders to Champions
DK entered EWC 2026 carrying all the context of their off-field difficulties. Reports of delayed salary payments circulated before the tournament. The organization was actively in the process of being sold. The roster had underperformed domestically by the standards the DK brand carries.
Before the tournament, Dplus KIA were not necessarily the most obvious favorite. On the Rift in Paris, however, none of that showed. DK played at the EWC with a level of clarity the organization had not shown in a long time.
Their path through the bracket required beating teams that had no obvious weaknesses:
- Quarters: Bilibili Gaming eliminated (one of the LPL's strongest representatives)
- Semis: Gen.G eliminated (defending EWC LoL champions from 2025)
- Final: Karmine Corp swept 3-0 on French home soil in front of a hostile Paris crowd
Mid laner ShowMaker drew comparisons to his Worlds 2020-winning form, when he stood among the best in the world in his position.
The comparison is apt. The 2026 ShowMaker at EWC performed with the same controlled aggression and decision-making clarity that defined the 2020 version. Whether that version was temporarily recovered or permanently returned is the question that will be answered over the remainder of 2026.
ShowMaker: The Constant
Through every rebrand, every roster change, and every transition, ShowMaker Heo Su has been the one constant in DK's competitive identity.
ShowMaker said before the final he hoped to win and "protect the LCK's standing." "I am glad to win again after five years," he said after the championship.
He won Worlds in 2020. He carried the weight of the organization's identity through years where the results did not match the expectation. He delivered again in Paris. For an organization whose star players have changed multiple times across its history, ShowMaker represents a kind of institutional memory that extends beyond any individual tournament.
Smash: The New Generation
If ShowMaker is DK's past and present, Smash is its future.
Bottom laner Shin "Smash" Geum-jae was named SONY MVP at EWC 2026. The 19-year-old finished the tournament with an 8.1 KDA statistic. "I'm so excited right now, I'm so happy," Smash said. "It's also my birthday in Korea. This is a phenomenal birthday."
An 8.1 KDA at a major international tournament, at 19 years old, on his birthday, in the Grand Final of the EWC. Smash's performance at EWC 2026 was the kind of individual showing that marks the beginning of a player's reputation on the international stage.
Organization and Partners
CEO: Lee Yu-yeong. Partners include Kia, Adidas, Logitech, Xenics, Hanatour, and Zinus.
Dplus KIA organization also fields the following rosters: Dplus KIA Valorant, Dplus KIA Rainbow 6, Dplus KIA Challengers LoL, DWG KIA Academy LoL.
The organization has expanded into multiple titles while maintaining League of Legends as its flagship, consistent with the LCK-centric identity that defines major Korean esports organizations.
What EWC 2026 Means for DK
For the organization it is a genuine revival. This is its first international title since 2020 and its first under the Dplus KIA branding, arriving after a spell that included missing Worlds last year for the first time in the club's history.
Winning EWC 2026 does not erase the organizational difficulties that exist off the field. The sale process continues. The salary situation requires resolution. But the competitive result creates a different context for everything that follows. DK enters the LCK Summer Split as international champions. They approach LoL Worlds 2026 qualification from a position of demonstrated capability rather than questions about relevance.
The story of Dplus KIA in 2026 is not finished. EWC was a chapter, not a conclusion.
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All team names, player names, and organization marks mentioned in this article belong to their respective owners. Used for informational and educational purposes only.
