Source: Korea e-Sports Association

The national finals of the '18th Presidential Cup Amateur e-Sports Games' (Presidential Cup KeG) concluded on Sunday the 16th at the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, with Busan Metropolitan City taking the overall championship.

Busan secured the overall title with 168 points, placing first in League of Legends and second in Eternal Return. This marks Busan's first return to the top spot in 15 years, since 2011, earning the city the Presidential Award. Daejeon Metropolitan City, which won the FC Online title, finished second overall (130 points), while Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the Brawl Stars champion, took third (108 points).

By event, Sejong Special Self-Governing City won the Eternal Return tournament, having topped Group A on the first day and reaching the checkpoint in just six rounds during the finals. In Brawl Stars, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province staged a comeback against Gwangju (Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City) to claim victory. In the FC Online final, Daejeon's Lee Ju-hyeon defeated Ulsan's Im Ji-yong in a hard-fought match that went through extra time in the first two sets and a penalty shootout in the third.

In the League of Legends final, Busan defeated Jeonnam (Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City) with a set score of 2-0. After finishing as runners-up last year, Busan returned to the finals this year to claim the title. Finally, in the strategy game Puyo Puyo eSports, Jeong Hee-ung, who reached the finals through the losers' bracket, secured the championship by winning the final set after a tense 9-9 deadlock.

Winners of each event will receive the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award, while second and third-place finishers will receive awards from the Korea Creative Content Agency and the Korea e-Sports Association, respectively. The total prize pool is ₩28 million. Additionally, a 'Model Local Government Award' (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation) will be presented at a later date to the municipality that best served as an example to other regions during the tournament.

The tournament MVPs were named as follows: Kim Han-bin (Sejong, Eternal Return), Park Seong-yeon (Jeju, Brawl Stars), Lee Ju-hyeon (Daejeon, FC Online), and Jeong Ha-neul (Busan, League of Legends) and Jeong Hee-ung (Busan, Puyo Puyo eSports). They were awarded Sidiz GC PRO gaming chairs.

The national finals at the Gyeongju Indoor Gymnasium saw approximately 300 athletes and officials from across the country participate over the two days, with about 3k spectators in attendance. The venue featured various interactive programs and events, including an e-sports experience zone, a 'Clean e-Sports' campaign booth, and the Gyeongju Water Pool Festival. The '2026 National Disabled e-Sports Tournament' is scheduled to be held at the same venue from Friday the 21st to Sunday the 23rd, with the Gyeongju Water Pool Festival continuing through the 23rd.

The '19th Presidential Cup KeG' national finals will be held in 2027 in Yeosu, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated City. During the closing ceremony on the final day of the 18th tournament, Gyeongju passed the tournament flag to Yeosu, the next host city, wishing them success in the upcoming event.

The 'Presidential Cup KeG' aims to foster balanced regional e-sports development, discover promising talent, and expand the amateur e-sports base. It is the world's only annual, government-hosted national amateur e-sports tournament. This year's event was hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; organized by the Korea e-Sports Association, North Gyeongsang Province, Gyeongju City, and the Gyeongju Cultural Foundation; sponsored by SK Telecom, Sidiz, Motta, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and the Korea Creative Content Agency; and featured Nimble Neuron, Supercell, Nexon, Riot Games, and Sega as game publishers.