'TARS' claimed victory at the 'Summoners War World Arena Championship 2026' (hereinafter SWC2026) World Finals held at KBS Arena in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the 14th, becoming SWC's tenth world champion. In the finals, he defeated Brazil's 'ZEZAS' 4-0.
After winning his first title at the 2022 World Finals in Seoul, 'TARS' lifted his second trophy in the same city four years later. With this win, he became the second player in SWC history to achieve two championships, following 'LEST', who reached the top in Paris in 2019 and Bangkok in 2023.
His path to victory was far from smooth. Advancing to the World Finals as the top seed from the China regional qualifiers, 'TARS' received the No. 2 seed and entered competition in the second round of the quarterfinals, defeating European powerhouse 'OBABO' in his first match. In the semifinals, he edged out 'GLE', the tournament's breakout sensation this year, 3-2 after a tight battle that went down to the final fifth set.
The final match was one-sided. 'TARS' gained the upper hand early on in monster picks and ban strategies, without dropping a single set. In the first year that the 'Stack Ban' rule—where a monster banned once remains locked out for the rest of the match—was introduced, the player who dominated the ban phase claimed the throne.
'GLE', making his SWC debut this year, tied for 3rd place alongside 'SAPPYYY'. 'GLE' made a name for himself by defeating last year's champion 'PU' in the qualifiers, finishing as runner-up in the Asia-Pacific Cup, and advancing all the way to the World Finals semifinals. Representing South Korea, 'SKIT' and 'BEAT.D' were eliminated in the first round of the quarterfinals, falling to 'OBABO' and 'ZEZAS', respectively.
'TARS' received $100,000 in prize money (approx. 134 million won) and the championship trophy. Runner-up 'ZEZAS' earned $20,000 (approx. 26.8 million won), while joint 3rd-place finishers 'GLE' and 'SAPPYYY' each took home $10,000 (approx. 13.4 million won).
The energy inside the venue overcame the weather. Despite heavy rain falling in Seoul on the day of the event, around 1,000 spectators gathered at KBS Arena—which sold out immediately after tickets went on sale—to cheer on the competitors. It was the first time in four years that Seoul hosted the event since 2022. All matches were broadcast live worldwide with commentary in 12 languages.
Sustaining mobile game esports for 10 years is no easy feat. Mobile games typically have short lifecycles, and when a game's popularity fades, tournaments often ground to a halt. Com2uS has hosted SWC without missing a single year since its inaugural tournament in 2017, producing its tenth champion with this event. Filling the seats for a world championship in its tenth edition for a mobile game in its 12th year demonstrates that Korean mobile games can sustain long-term global esports ecosystems.
Taking the stage at the awards ceremony, Com2uS CEO Nam Jae-kwan congratulated the players and expressed his gratitude to the fans who have been part of SWC over the past 10 years. CEO Nam said, "SWC has been able to grow into a global esports festival over a long decade thanks to your unwavering interest and passion," adding, "We will continue to do our best so that Summoners War fans around the world can enjoy and connect together."
Replays of all SWC2026 World Finals matches can be viewed on the official 'Summoners War' Esports YouTube channel.
