The 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) will be held in Daejeon, South Korea, from June 28 to July 12. The event serves as a midyear benchmark for the best teams from around the world, with the winner earning a direct qualification to the 2026 World Championship. The format includes a Play-In Stage (June 28,July 1) and a Bracket Stage (July 3,6, July 8,12).

Format and Participating Teams

The Play-In Stage features a four-team double-elimination bracket, with only one team advancing to the eight-team double-elimination Bracket Stage. The participating teams represent various regions: China (BLG, TES), Korea (HLE, T1), EMEA (G2, KC), North America (LYON, TLAW), Asia Pacific (TSW, DCG), and Brazil (FUR).

The Play-In includes teams with lower regional rankings: T1, Karmine Corp, Team Liquid, and Deep Cross Gaming, the opening match on June 28 will see T1 face off against Team Liquid at 5:00 AM Spanish time.

Viewership and Language Shifts

According to Esports Charts. The 2026 Play-In has already surpassed the viewership of the 2025 Play-In by 59.8%, reaching over 1.39 million peak viewers after two days; T1’s matches were the primary drivers of this increase.

The language distribution has also shifted significantly, Korean-language viewership rose from 116,000 in 2025 to 462,000 in 2026, a nearly fourfold increase; Portuguese-language viewership dropped by 78% after FURIA entered directly into the Bracket Stage. Vietnamese viewership also increased despite the absence of a Vietnamese team, largely due to T1’s popularity in the region.

Path to the Bracket Stage

T1, led by Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, opened the Play-In with consecutive 3-0 victories over Team Liquid and Karmine Corp — For the second time in three years, T1 began its MSI campaign in the Play-In after missing direct qualification from the LCK. The team is now in a strong position to secure the sole spot to the Bracket Stage.

Seven teams. BLG, TES, HLE, G2, LYON, TSW, and FUR,are guaranteed to enter the Bracket Stage without going through the Play-In, based on their strong regional performances and seeding criteria. These teams will wait out the Play-In before entering the main event.

The 2026 MSI is held at the Daejeon Convention Center II, a new venue for the event; Riot Games has also confirmed that in-game drops will return for the tournament, offering special in-game rewards for players who participate or watch the event.