LCK 2026 Road to MSI: Teams, format, and schedule
With the LCK 2026 Rounds 1-2 complete, the qualified teams will battle it out in Road to MSI. With two spots for the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational and one spot for the 2026 Esports World Cup on the line, here’s everything to know about the LCK 2026 Road to MSI.
| Event | LCK 2026 Road to MSI |
|---|---|
| Start date | 6 June, 2026 |
| End date | 14 June, 2026 |
| Reward | Eligibility for MSI and EWC |
| Teams | Six |
| Location | LoL Park, Seoul + Wonju Indoor Gymnasium |
Six teams have qualified for Road to MSI, but only two MSI spots are available for this region. While powerhouse teams such as Hanwha Life Esports, T1, and Gen.G are expected to qualify, there’s always a real chance that an underdog team could cause an upset.
Considering the LCK’s popularity, it makes sense that Riot Games wants this event to start with a bang. The first two rounds will take place at LoL Park, while the remaining rounds will take the qualified teams to the Wonju Indoor Gymnasium.
All LCK 2026 Road to MSI teams
Gen.G’s 2026 roster. Image credit: Gen.G
The following LCK teams have qualified for Road to MSI, based on their rankings in the previous LCK split:
- Hanwha Life Esports
- T1
- Gen.G
- KT Rolster
- Dplus
- BRION
Just because all six teams have qualified for the split, that doesn’t mean they have an equal chance of qualifying for MSI. Hanwha Life Esports and T1 ranked the highest last split, because of which they got a ticket to the third round. The team that wins that match will instantly qualify for MSI, while the loser will get sent to the fifth round for another shot at qualification.
The other teams only have one chance. A single loss will instantly eliminate them from the bracket, with Dplus and BRION having to win five consecutive wins if they want to qualify for MSI.
LCK 2026 Road to MSI format and schedule
Since there are only six teams playing in a single-elimination bracket, it makes sense that things will wrap up fairly quickly. This means that you don’t have much time if you’re hoping to make some money off of these matches. Fortunately, we have some of the best LoL betting sites already listed.
Every match in this tournament will be a best-of-five. Additionally, every match will have Fearless Draft. This means that the same champion isn’t usable twice in the same match.
Round 1 (June 6, 4 am ET)
Dplus KIA 2026 LCK Cup roster. Image credit: Dplus
- Dplus and BRION will face off against each other
- The loser will be eliminated and forfeit their chance of qualifying for this year’s MSI
Round 2 (June 7, 4 am ET)
- The winner of Dplus vs BRION will compete against KT Rolster.
- The loser here will also be eliminated from the fray.
Round 3 (June 12, 4 am ET)
- Hanwha Life Esports will compete against T1.
- The winner will instantly qualify for MSI and the EWC, while the loser will go to the fifth round.
Round 4 (June 13, 4 am ET)
- The winner of round two will face off against Gen.G.
- Defeat will mean elimination.
Round 5
- The loser of round three will battle against round 4’s winner.
- The winner will qualify for MSI.
It’s important to note that the winner of round 5 will only qualify for MSI. The team won’t get a free qualification for the EWC, since only the third round’s winner gets that benefit.
Featured image credit: T1
Hannan Mundia is a lifelong gamer. Don’t believe us? Just ask him. But don’t ask how many hours he’s spent playing. He’s been gaming since the age of three, and much of his live revolves around video games and the video game industry. Whether it’s a classic Legend of Zelda game from Nintendo, the newest Bethesda RPG, or something else entirely, you can bet that Hannan is ready and willing to play it.
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