MSI 2026: Schedule, streams, format & results for Mid-Season Invitational

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The Mid-Season Invitational 2026, better known as MSI 2026, is almost here, bringing League of Legends’ mid-season international competition back to South Korea. The tournament will be the second cross-regional event of the 2026 LoL Esports season and will feature 11 teams from the game’s major professional regions.

Esports Charts has prepared this MSI 2026 guide with the key details fans need before the tournament begins. Below, you will find the MSI 2026 dates, venue, format, schedule, qualified teams, broadcasts, tickets, Pick’Ems details, and results.

MSI 2026 dates, venue, and prize pool

MSI 2026 will take place from June 28 to July 12 at the Daejeon Convention Center Ⅱ in Daejeon, South Korea. The event will bring together 11 teams, with two representatives from the LCP, LCS, LCK, LPL, LEC, plus one team from CBLoL. The MSI 2026 prize pool has not been officially revealed yet.

MSI 2026 schedule and format

MSI 2026 keeps the same overall structure as last year, but Riot Games has updated the Play-In Stage. The Play-In Stage will feature four teams in a double-elimination bracket, with only one team advancing to the Bracket Stage. 

The seven teams starting directly in the Bracket Stage will be the first seed from each region, plus the second seed from the highest-ranking two-seed region at First Stand 2026.

By winning First Stand 2026, Bilibili Gaming also earned the LPL an extra Bracket Stage slot at MSI 2026. As a result, both LPL representatives will start MSI 2026 directly in the Bracket Stage.

MSI 2026 will be split into two stages:

Play-In (June 28 to July 1)

• Four teams will play in a double-elimination bracket, with their seedings based on results from the First Stand 2026. The winner advances to the Bracket Stage, with all matches played in the best-of-five format with Fearless Draft.

Bracket (July 3 to 6 and July 8 to 12)

• The eight sides will face each other in a double-elimination bracket where all matches are Bo5 with Fearless Draft.

The individual schedule for Bracket Stage matches is as follows:

• Upper Round 1: July 3 to July 6
• Upper Final: July 9
• Lower Final: July 11
• Grand Final: July 12

The MSI 2026 winner will qualify for the 2026 World Championship if they reach their regional playoffs in Split 3. Meanwhile, the second-placed region will get a fourth seed for its domestic league at the LoL Worlds.

MSI 2026 teams

Eleven teams have qualified for this top-tier League of Legends tournament, with the region-wise split given below:

• Two teams each from LCK, LCS, LCP, LEC, and LPL (ten total)
• 1 side from CBLOL

Top Esports Gaming	LYON	FURIA
G2 Esports	Karmine Corp	Secret Whales
Deep Cross Gaming	Hanwha Life Esports	Bilibili Gaming
Team Liquid	T1

Brazil, China, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam will have the most players participating at five each. Together, these countries account for more than two-thirds of the listed player pool, with France and the United States also represented.

Where to watch MSI 2026: broadcasts, streams, and tickets

MSI 2026 will be broadcast across official Riot Games channels and regional-language streams. Coverage will include English, Korean, French, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish broadcasts across platforms such as Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, SOOP, and CHZZK.

Twitch

• English
• French
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Spanish

YouTube

• English
• Korean
• French
• Vietnamese
• Portuguese
• Japanese
• Spanish

Kick

• English

TikTok

• English
• Vietnamese

SOOP Korea

• Korean

CHZZK

• Korean

Fans can also expect major LoL co-streamers and regional community broadcasters, including names such as Marc “Caedrel” Lamont, Kamel “Kameto” Kebir, Hoàng Luân, Gustavo “BaianoTV” Gomes, Ibai "ibai" Llanos, and Kim “phonics1” Min-kyo, if approved for the event.

Tickets for MSI 2026 went on sale in April. International fans may need passport information to complete their purchase, depending on the ticketing platform requirements. Fans planning to attend in person can check ticket availability through the official ticketing page.

Mid-Season Invitational viewership history

The Mid-Season Invitational has long been one of League of Legends’ biggest annual viewership drivers, sitting behind Worlds as the game’s key international mid-season event. Recent MSI editions have regularly crossed the one-million Peak Viewers mark and generated tens of millions of Hours Watched.

  Most popular events in the Mid-Season Invitational series   

MSI 2025 became the first event in the series to surpass 3 million Peak Viewers. It also became only the second MSI event to exceed 70 million Hours Watched, helped by a high-profile Grand Final between T1 and Gen.G.

The outlook for MSI 2026 is strong as well, although its final viewership ceiling will depend heavily on the bracket, regional matchups, and whether the most popular teams reach the later rounds.

T1 remains one of the tournament’s biggest potential audience drivers, while teams from the LPL, LEC, and other regions can also shape the event’s final numbers. A Grand Final involving T1 would likely raise MSI 2026’s viewership ceiling significantly. A matchup against another major audience driver, such as Gen.G or Karmine Corp, could put last year’s milestones within reach.

MSI 2026 Pick’Ems

MSI 2026 is expected to feature Pick’Ems through the official LoL Esports Pick’Ems platform, where fans can make predictions and earn rewards. Fans and viewers can pick the match winners and earn rewards between June 17 and July 1.

Teams to watch at MSI 2026:

• Gen.G enters the tournament as the two-time defending MSI champion, while Bilibili Gaming arrives after winning First Stand 2026 and securing an extra Bracket Stage slot for the LPL.
• G2 Esports and T1 are also among the teams likely to attract major attention if they qualify and reach the later rounds.

What to consider before making MSI Pick’Ems:

1. Play-In Stage: The Play-In winner will be decided through a four-team double-elimination bracket, so team depth and adaptability should matter more than a single strong matchup.
2. Bracket Stage: The Bo5 double-elimination format with Fearless Draft should reward teams with deeper champion pools and stronger adaptation across long series.
3. Additional predictions: If tournament-wide questions return for MSI 2026, fans should check lock times carefully before each stage begins.

Mid-Season Invitational 2026 results

Esports Charts will continue to update the results of all the MSI 2026 matches as and when they are over. Readers can also check out the tournament page for information on the match schedule, viewership and livestreams.