Nongshim RedForce lost 0-2 to T1 in their 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) regular season Round 1 match held at LoL Park in Jongno on the 29th. With this result, Nongshim RedForce concludes the first round in 6th place with a record of 4 wins, 5 losses, and a -2 game differential.

Speaking to the press after the match, Head Coach Choi In-kyu began by saying, "It is very disappointing that we lost both games today without putting up much of a fight." He cited allowing easy counter-jungling in Game 1 and poor teamfighting in Game 2 as the primary reasons for the defeat.

"In Game 1, our bottom lane was in a disadvantageous matchup, but they managed to gain priority, and we could have leveraged that advantage with plays involving Sion," Choi added. "However, we allowed counter-jungling in our jungle, which gave the opposing Xin Zhao too much momentum. We kept losing teamfights centered around Xin Zhao, and we lost the strength needed to carry Azir into the late game."

Regarding Game 2, he specifically pointed to the fourth dragon teamfight. "Both teams had compositions where teamfighting was crucial, but we failed to execute. We also missed opportunities to gain advantages during the early-to-mid game laning phase," he said. "Specifically, in the fourth dragon fight, we should have drawn the opponent into our territory, but we ended up fighting in a position that favored them, which prevented our composition's strengths from shining through."

When asked what he felt was the most disappointing aspect for Nongshim RedForce right now, Choi replied, "There are instances where we fail to capitalize on favorable situations, and our teamfighting ability is a major issue. Even if we manage the early-to-mid game well, we ultimately need to win teamfights to secure the victory, and our positioning and split-second decision-making are currently very lacking."

Finally, Head Coach Choi expressed his resolve: "I am very sorry for only showing disappointing performances throughout the first round. We have our next match in the second round coming up soon, but I will work hard with the players to prepare and show a better version of ourselves."