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Mid-Season Invitational 2026

CompletedTier S

The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI 2026) is the second-largest global tournament in the League of Legends Esports calendar, and it is considered the mid-season clash that brings together champions from different regions to prove who holds early global supremacy before the Worlds tournament.

League of LegendsJun 28, 2026 – Jul 12, 2026Daejeon, South KoreaSouth Korea$2,000,000MSI

Format

Qualification

  • Regional Participation: The top two teams from each region participate in MSI, with the exception of CBLOL which sends only its top team (making a total of 10 regional teams + 1 CBLOL team).

  • Direct Byes: The 1st seed of each region, along with the 2nd seed of the LPL (recognized as the winning region of FST 2026), receive a direct bye into the Bracket Stage.

  • Play-In Contenders: The remaining 4 teams must start their tournament journey from the Play-In stage.

2. Play-In Stage (June 28 – July 1)

  • Format: 4 teams battle through a Double Elimination bracket.

  • Seeding: Teams are seeded dynamically based on the final results of FST 2026.

  • Progression: The winners successfully advance into the Bracket Stage.

  • Match Rules: All matches are Best of 5 (Bo5) and fully governed by Fearless Draft rules.

3. Bracket Stage (July 3 – July 12)

  • Format: An 8-team Double Elimination tournament bracket.

  • Match Rules: All matches are elevated to Best of 5 (Bo5) series utilizing Fearless Draft rules.

  • Worlds 2026 Stakes: * The tournament winner directly qualifies for Worlds 2026, on the condition that they reach their domestic regional playoffs in Split 3.

    • The runner-up region (2nd place) earns an additional 4th seed for its domestic league at Worlds.