'Viper' has stood at the top once again. It comes five years after he first lifted the Summoner's Cup in 2021.
On November 15 KST, 'Viper' Park Do-hyeon claimed victory by defeating Gen.G Esports 3-1 in the finals of the '2026 LoL World Championship (Worlds)' held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This marks the first title for team BLG and the second overall career title for 'Viper'.
His first title came five years ago at the 2021 Season World Championship. At the time, 'Viper' belonged to EDward Gaming (EDG). After advancing through the group stage in second place, EDG earned hard-fought 3-2 victories over RNG in the quarterfinals and Gen.G in the semifinals to reach the finals, where they ultimately defeated Dplus KIA after a 'W-L-L-W-W' series to claim the championship.
It was not an easy journey to return to the final stage. Although he made several Worlds appearances, he stumbled in the quarterfinals time and again. However, joining BLG for the 2026 season, 'Viper' reached the finals in his sixth Worlds appearance by defeating his former team Hanwha Life Esports first, followed by undefeated Swiss stage team Dplus KIA, and LPL nemesis T1.
The final opponent was Gen.G, evaluated as a formidable championship favorite. They were also the final boss of the LCK gauntlet. Although dropping Game 1 after a fierce battle, he reached match point in Games 2 and 3 using his signature non-ADC picks, Ziggs and Taliyah, before finally winning Game 4 to become the owner of the 'Summoner's Cup'.
Standing on stage after the victory, 'Viper' shared his thoughts, saying, "This was the hardest year of my career. Looking back, I still can't believe I made it to this place." He added, "So many moments where I thought about giving up flash through my mind. I'm deeply grateful to everyone who helped me hold on whenever that happened."
