2025 Mid-Season Invitational

Qualification & Seeding

• The Field: A total of 10 teams participate in the tournament, representing the top two seeds from each of the five global regions.

• Direct Byes: Six teams receive a direct bye into the Bracket Stage: the 1st seed from all five regions, alongside the 2nd seed from the LCK (earned courtesy of the region winning the 2025 First Split Tournament).

• Play-In Contenders: The remaining 4 regional teams must start their tournament journey in the opening Play-In phase.

Play-In Stage (June 27th – 29th, 2025)

• Format: The 4 lower-seeded teams are placed into a single GSL-Style (Double-Elimination) Group, with initial seeding determined by regional performance at the 2025 First Split Tournament.

• Advancement: The top 2 teams (the team finishing 2-0 and the team finishing 2-1) successfully advance to the main Bracket Stage. The remaining 2 teams are eliminated.

• Match Style: All series are contested as Best-of-5 (Bo5) utilizing the strategic Fearless Draft format.

Bracket Stage (July 1st – 12th, 2025)

• Format: The 6 directly seeded teams and the 2 Play-In qualifiers merge into a high-stakes 8-Team Double-Elimination Bracket.

• Match Style: Every series throughout the entire playoff bracket is played as a comprehensive Best-of-5 (Bo5) featuring the Fearless Draft rule set.

High-Stakes Worlds 2025 Implications

• The Champions: The tournament winner secures a guaranteed direct qualification spot for Worlds 2025, provided they successfully reach their respective domestic league's Split 3 regional playoffs.

• The Runners-Up: The region of the 2nd-place finishing team earns an additional, lucrative 4th seed allocation for its domestic league at the Worlds main event