Zeus becomes first player to win every Riot international title, and esports investors are paying attention

Choi “Zeus” Woo-je just collected the one trophy that was missing from his shelf. With Hanwha Life Esports’ victory over Bilibili Gaming at MSI 2026 in early July, the 22-year-old South Korean toplaner became the first player in history to win every major Riot Games international tournament.

The full trophy case

Zeus’s collection now includes back-to-back League of Legends World Championships in 2023 and 2024 with T1, the First Stand title in 2025, and the freshly won MSI 2026 with his new team, Hanwha Life Esports. He earned Finals MVP honors at both the 2023 Worlds and MSI 2026, bookending his run with individual recognition on the biggest stages.

He shares part of this distinction with teammate Zeka. Both players are now the first to hold First Stand, MSI, and Worlds titles simultaneously in their career histories.

But Zeus’s resume extends beyond Riot’s own tournament ecosystem. He won the 2024 Esports World Cup and took home a gold medal representing South Korea at the 2022 Asian Games. Three LCK Top Laner of the Year awards sit alongside those international titles. Born on January 31, 2004, he accomplished all of this before turning 23.

From T1 to HLE, and why it matters commercially

What makes this story particularly interesting from an investment perspective is the team change. Zeus left T1, arguably the most storied organization in League of Legends history, and joined Hanwha Life Esports. He didn’t just maintain his level. He elevated his new team to an MSI championship.

Hanwha Life Esports is backed by Hanwha Life Insurance, one of South Korea’s largest financial services companies. The parent company Hanwha Group has a market presence spanning solar energy, aerospace, and insurance.

What this means for the esports economy

The inclusion of esports at the 2022 Asian Games, where Zeus won gold, was a significant legitimacy milestone. The finals matchup itself, HLE versus China’s Bilibili Gaming, also highlights the continued dominance of the Korea-China rivalry in League of Legends.

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