T1 has announced that its top laner Choi ‘Doran’ Hyeon-jun has re-signed with the esports organisation for the 2026 LCK season.
The news of the renewal immediately follows the departure of Lee ‘Gumayusi‘ Min-hyeong from T1’s Worlds 2025 championship-winning roster.
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T1 revealed on X (Twitter) that the top laner has signed a contract extension with the organisation. Doran was the final contract uncertainty for T1, with his team members Mun ‘Oner‘ Hyeon-jun, Lee ‘Faker‘ Sang-hyeok and Ryu ‘Keria‘ Min-seok already contracted for next year.
Both Oner and Keria have contracts up until 2026. Meanwhile, Faker re-signed with the organisation until 2029 earlier this year.
A Championship Winning Season
Doran only joined T1 at the start of the 2025 season, replacing its then back-to-back worlds champion top laner Choi ‘Zeus’ Woo-je. Despite having a new top-laner, T1 managed to win its third consecutive world title, even though the organisation failed to win a single domestic split.
Prior to his time at T1, Doran had notably competed for Hanwha Life Esports and Gen.G, winning a total of four LCK splits during those tenures.
After beating KT Rolster in the 2025 Worlds Grand Finals, Doran managed to secure his first major international championship. As a result, he was able to choose a champion to receive a Worlds 2025 skin. Whilst others have yet to publicly announce their choices, Doran has seemingly chosen Ambessa to receive this honour.
What Next for T1?
With Doran re-signing with T1, four out of the five current world champions will remain with the organisation. However, the team’s next step will be to replace its star bot laner Gumayusi.
According to outlet Sheep Esports, it seems T1 has its eyes set on Kim ‘Peyz’ Su-hwan. Currently plying his trade on Chinese team JD Gaming, the 19-year-old has already tasted international success, having won MSI 2024 with Gen.G. As of this writing, no official announcement regarding Gumayusi’s replacement has been made.
Source: https://esportsinsider.com/
