League of Legends Champions star Faker’s absence from Hong Kong hits resale value of tickets
South Korean and his T1 team failed to qualify for the tournament, leading to a drop in prices of tickets in the secondary market
League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) will stage its first final outside South Korea this weekend, but the absence of superstar Lee Sang-hyeok has sent resale ticket prices in Hong Kong tumbling.
Tickets for the 2026 LCK Cup finals at Kai Tak Arena sold out within half an hour when they went on sale in January, with esports fans eager for a chance to see Lee, who is more commonly known by his player name “Faker”, and his T1 team in action.
Official prices for the losers’ final on February 28 and the final on March 1 ranged from HK$488 to HK$1,688.
Faker features at the centre of the event’s promotional poster and was widely seen as the main draw because of his six world championship titles, two Mid-Season Invitational trophies, 10 domestic LCK crowns and a highlight reel of some of the most iconic one-on-one plays in League of Legends history.
The South Korean also won gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
But T1’s failure to reach Hong Kong has triggered a sharp drop in the secondary ticket market.