It seems that Faker has really achieved everything in League of Legends, but for the South Korean legend, it goes further. For Esports, he is now taking on a new role, which he shares with Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen.
Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker
, has been active in Esports since 2013 and has shown impressive performances since then. His greatest achievement is probably that he has won the Worlds, the World Championship in LoL, 6 times. He is one of the faces of the game, and even Riot fears his retirement.
After being honored by the Korean president earlier this year, there is now another honor and a new role for the LoL superstar. It has been announced that Faker will be an ambassador for the Esports World Cup and the Esports Nation Cup until 2028.
In the event, teams and Esports athletes compete against each other in several games. Among others, in Tekken 8, Starcraft 2, or League of Legends. This year the event will take place in Paris.
With his role as ambassador, Faker joins the ambassador program alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Magnus Carlsen.
The Most Influential Athlete in Competitive Gaming
What is Faker’s new role? In the official press release, which MeinMMO has, it states that Faker is to represent the perspective of the Esports athletes of the Esports Foundation (the organization behind the event). He is to help develop Esports further.
Ralf Reichert, the CEO of the Esports Foundation, says about Faker: You cannot talk about Esports without mentioning Faker. He is the most influential athlete in competitive gaming: a champion whose performance, discipline, and consistency have inspired a whole generation.
The Esports World Cup Foundation is primarily funded by Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the event and the ambassador programs are regularly accused of “sportswashing” by critics – the attempt to improve the country’s image despite the human rights situation there through major sporting events. Last year, there was also criticism of the event.
Faker himself says about his new role: Through the Esports World Cup, the Esports Nations Cup and
the other platforms of the Foundation, I hope to inspire the next generation to give their best, overcome setbacks, and believe in how far Esports can take them. There is still much to achieve.
Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, Faker competes with T1 at the tournament. Currently, the LoL tournament is running at the event and at 11 o’clock T1 will compete against the Chinese competitor Bilibili Gaming after defeating GAM Esports. The final of the tournament will take place on July 19.
In the current MSI 2026, T1 lost against the European team G2. The South Korean champions have another chance to show what they can do.
Are you watching the Esports World Cup in League of Legends or do you prefer just tournaments like MSI or the Worlds? Feel free to write it to us in the comments. Faker is a specialist in LoL, but in one aspect, he has no clue: Faker is considered the best LoL player in the world, in one area you are at least as good as he is
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