League of Legends 2026 MSI preview: Teams, schedule, rewards

Hannan Mundia Published 18/06/2026

2026’s MSI is on the horizon, with cash prizes and a guaranteed spot at this year’s World Championship on the line. Some favorites have proven their skills, as well as underdogs that have a chance to cause an upset. This preview highlights the tournament’s teams, schedule, and potential rewards for those who perform well.

Event	2026 MSI
Start date	June 28, 2026
End date	July 12, 2026
Prize pool	$2,000,000 USD
Teams	11
Location	Daejeon Convention Center Ⅱ, South Korea

Eleven teams have qualified for this year’s MSI, but that doesn’t mean that every team is in the clear. Four teams are still part of the play-in stage, ensuring that they must duke it out with each other to determine which team proceeds to the bracket stage.

Teams such as Hanwha Life Esports and G2 Esports qualified for the tournament by dominating in their respective domestic leagues. On the other hand, teams such as T1 and Team Liquid struggled to make it here. However, it’s anyone’s game in this tournament, since every team will be trying to achieve victory.

All qualified 2026 MSI teams

The top two teams of each region participate in MSI. The only exception to this rule is CBLOL, which only has its top team participate in the tournament. While the first seed of each region and the second seed of the LPL get a bye into the bracket stage, the other four teams start from the play-in. The LPL gets an advantage because the region won this year’s First Stand.

Image credit: Riot Games

Below are all of the play-in teams for the 2026 MSI tournament:

T1
Team Liquid
Karmine Corp
Deep Cross Gaming

As for the teams that get a bye into the bracket stage, they are:

Bilibili Gaming
Top Esports
Hanwha Life Esports
LYON
FURIA
G2 Esports
Secret Whales

The winning team from the play-in stage will join the seven bracket stage teams for a chance to win the whole thing.

2026 MSI prize pool

Just qualifying for this year’s MSI was tough enough, so it makes sense that every team will be rewarded, regardless of their placement. However, the teams placing higher will naturally get a much higher cash prize, while the first-place team has an additional benefit to look forward to.

The MSI trophy. Image credit: Riot Games

Place	Rewards	Cash Prize Percentage
1	$500,000 + Worlds qualification	25%
2	$300,000 + Team’s region will get an additional slot at Worlds	15%
3	$240,000	12%
4	$200,000	10%
5	$160,000	8%
6	$160,000	8%
7	$110,000	5.5%
8	$110,000	5.5%
9	$90,000	4.5%
10	$70,000	3.5%
11	$60,000	3%

2026 MSI format and schedule

2026’s Mid-Season Invitational will have two stages. With an intense format, it will offer plenty of League of Legends betting opportunities. The tournament will start with the play-in stage, before the winner here will join the other seven teams in the bracket stage.

Play-in stage (June 28 – July 1)

This will be a double-elimination bracket where one loss doesn’t necessarily mean that the team is out for good. The team’s seeding was decided based on the results from First Stand, and every match will be best-of-five with fearless draft.

Round 1 (June 28)

T1 vs Team Liquid (11 pm ET, upper bracket)
Karmine Corp vs Deep Cross Gaming (4 am ET, upper bracket)

Round 2 (June 29)

Winners of round 1 (11 pm ET, upper bracket)
Losers of round 1 (4 am ET, lower bracket)

Round 3 (June 30)

Winner of round 2 lower bracket vs loser of round 2 upper bracket (4 am ET, lower bracket)

Round 4 (July 1)

Winner of round 2 upper bracket vs winner of round 3 (4 am ET, grand final)

Bracket stage (July 2 – July 12)

The bracket stage will have the eight qualified teams play in a double-elimination bracket. Every match here will also be a best-of-five with fearless draft.

The eight teams will essentially be split into four tiers. The tiers will be spread out across the bracket, with tier 1 facing tier 4 and tier 2 facing tier 3. Teams of the same region won’t be drawn in the same bracket.

There will be two upper bracket rounds that will lead to the upper bracket final. On the other hand, three lower bracket rounds will lead to the lower bracket final. The winners of both finals will face off in the grand final to determine the winner who goes to this year’s Worlds.

Featured image credits: Riot Games

Hannan Mundia

About Hannan Mundia

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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