2025 Mid-Season Invitational
The 2025 Mid-Season Invitational (commonly known as MSI 2025) is the tenth edition of the second largest annual international tournament in the world of esports for the game League of Legends.
Format
Qualification & Seeding
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The Field: A total of 10 teams participate in the tournament, representing the top two seeds from each of the five global regions.
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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).
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Match Style: All series are contested as Best-of-5 (Bo5) utilizing the strategic Fearless Draft format.
Bracket Stage (July 1st – 12th, 2025)
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Format: The 6 directly seeded teams and the 2 Play-In qualifiers merge into a high-stakes 8-Team Double-Elimination Bracket.
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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
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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.
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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