MSI 2026: All the Important Details for the International Event
The 2026 Mid-Season Invitational is almost upon us. The entire tournament will take place in Daejeon, South Korea, at the Daejeon Convention Center Ⅱ. The tournament kicks off on June 28th, with the Grand Finals two weeks later on July 12th. Eleven teams will arrive in Daejeon, looking for an MSI trophy. Gen.G Esports will not return this year, following their 2024 and 2025 MSI title victories.
The MSI 2026 Format
MSI 2026 will have two stages:
- The Play-Ins
- Features four teams, one from the LEC, LCK, LCS, and LCP.
- The Bracket Stage
- Features eight teams, two from the LPL, one from the LEC, LCK, LCP, LCS, CBLOL, and one Play-Ins team.
All matches at MSI are best-of-five series. The region’s performances at First Stand will impact the seedings for both stages. The Play-Ins stage is a double-elimination bracket, with only one team qualifying for the Bracket Stage. The four Play-Ins teams are in seed order:
- Karmine Corp
- T1
- Team Liquid
- FURIA
The initial matchups for the Play-In stage are:
- Karmine Corp Versus FURIA
- T1 Versus Team Liquid
Teams will need to win three best-of-five series to qualify for the Bracket Stage.
MSI 2026 Schedule
Play-In Stage
- June 28th – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- June 29th – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- June 30th – 1:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM CEST / 5:00 PM KST
- July 1st – 1:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM CEST / 5:00 PM KST
Bracket Stage
- July 3rd – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- July 4th – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- July 5th – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- July 6th – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- July 8th – 8:00 PM PDT / 5:00 AM CEST / 12:00 PM KST
- July 9th – 1:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM CEST / 5:00 PM KST
- July 10th – 1:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM CEST / 5:00 PM KST
- July 11th – 1:00 AM PDT / 10:00 AM CEST / 5:00 PM KST
- July 12th – 11:00 PM PDT / 7:00 AM CEST / 3:00 PM KST
The Eleven Qualified Teams
There are eleven teams for MSI this year. Seven of the team earned a direct ticket to the Bracket Stage. The LPL is the only region with two teams in the Bracket Stage. The reason is that Bilbili Gaming’s victory at First Stand earned them the additional spot. The region placements at First Stand also impact the tournament seeding. T1 is the favorite to qualify for the Bracket Stage from the Play-Ins.
Bilibili Gaming
Bilibili Gaming almost missed out on an MSI spot after losing to Team WE in the Upper Bracket. They rematched them in the Lower Bracket Finals and needed game five to qualify. They won the Grand Final to be the LPL first seed.
Top Esports
Top Esports coasted through the Upper Bracket of the LPL playoffs to qualify for MSI. They return to the competition for the first time since losing 3-0 to G2 Esports. They lost heavily to Bilbili Gaming in the LPL Playoffs Grand Final.
G2 Esports
G2 struggled to regain their First Stand form in the LEC Regular Season. They hit a higher gear in the Playoffs, going undefeated on their way to the LEC first seed and another LEC title. They needed five games against Movistar KOI and Karmine Corp to lift the trophy.
Karmine Corp
After missing out on MSI last year, the Blue Wall qualifies for its first MSI appearance. They lost early to G2 Esports in the Upper Bracket. But then coasted through the Lower Bracket until they lost in the final to G2 Esports once again.
Hanwha Life Esports
Hanwha Life Esports finished 10th in the LCK Cup. They turned it around in the regular season. They finished 1st in the standings and then defeated T1 in the Upper Bracket. Hanwha Life Esports missed out on MSI last year after being one game away against Gen.G Esports.
T1
T1 nearly missed out on MSI this year. However, they defeated their archnemesis, Gen.G Esports, in a five-game series to reach the international tournament. It was the first time since the 2023 Spring that T1 has won a best-of-five LCK series against Gen.G Esports.
LYON
LYON struggled to contend with Cloud9 in the LCS regular season. However, they took control in the playoffs, going undefeated to qualify for MSI as the LCS first seed. Inspired returns to carry his team in yet another international event.
Team Liquid
Team Liquid is a surprise participant in MSI this year. With Cloud9 the heavy favorites to win the LCS, not many expected this outcome. However, they bested Cloud9 3-0 to book their ticket to Daejeon, before falling to LYON in the Grand Finals.
Team Secret Whales
Team Secret Whales dominated the LCP for a second consecutive split. Their qualification means a third consecutive international event for the Vietnamese roster. They did not lose a single series throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Deep Cross Gaming
After qualifying for the LCP this year through the Free For All Guess Slot, Deep Cross Gaming surprised everyone by qualifying for MSI. They took down favorites GAM Esports on two separate occasions in the playoffs to reach this stage.
FURIA
FURIA returns to MSI for the second consecutive year. Thanks to seeding, they do not have to go through the Play-In Stage. FURIA went undefeated in the playoffs stage after finishing second in the regular season.
More LoL Esports Content
Below is all the previous LCK content on the Total Apex. You can expect more MSI articles in the following weeks.
