All MSI 2026 qualified teams: The teams at the Mid-Season Invitational

Wasif Ahmed Published 27/06/2026

The 2026 Mid-Season Invitational starts on June 28. At this event, 11 orgs from all of LoL’s major regions will face off over three weeks to crown one champion and grant two leagues an extra spot at Worlds 2026. Here are all MSI qualified teams.

All MSI qualified teams in 2026

Each major region sent two representatives at the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational, except for the CBLOL which only has their first seed.

All MSI qualified teams: Hanwha Life Esports. Image source: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games

LCK #1: Hanwha Life Esports

Hanwha Life Esports comes in as the LCK’s first seed. As such, they’re an MSI favorite by default while simultaneously attending the event for the first time.

In fact, HLE rarely makes it to internationals, and their Worlds runs were never stellar. All three of them concluded in the quarterfinal match, the lowest finish for an LCK team aside from Gen.G’s 2018 disaster.

On the other hand, they were particularly strong at Worlds 2025 and only lost to a plot-armored T1. HLE also dominated First Stand 2025, claiming their first and only international title with a 14-3 record.

In the LCK, Hanwha Life Esports convincingly claimed first place. HLE is a favorite, they simply might not feel like one due to not being recognized as an international powerhouse yet. Keep that in mind if you are betting on the tournament. Check out sites like Thunderpick to wager on the MSI 2026.

LCK #2: T1

T1 returns to MSI for the fifth year in a row. However, the team got their last win at this event in 2017. T1 always shows up, but seldom brings it home.

At MSI 2026, they likely won’t either. Faker’s team is consistent and most teams stand no chance against them. However, they’re unlikely to beat Hanwha Life Esports or Bilibili Gaming, and shouldn’t be expected to win against both. T1 will probably finish second or third.

LPL #1: Bilibili Gaming

Returning to the international stage after destroying all opposition in the LPL Split 2, BLG wants to keep their golden road going. Split 1, First Stand, Split 2, they’re halfway through.

Naturally, the biggest hurdles remain, and MSI 2026 is the first. Considering that they won First Stand and given the form they showed domestically, BLG is another natural favorite to win this event.

However, they don’t feel like a clear-cut favorite as they didn’t prove themselves against the LCK. At First Stand, they barely edged out a noticeably weaker Korean team in BNK FearX, and never faced Gen.G. Now, how they’ll stack up against HLE and T1 is fully unknown.

LPL #2: Top Esports

In their whole history, Top Esports has consistently done well until high-stake matches. TES has never even reached the final of an international event. On top of that, despite being one of the scariest teams regionally, they’ve only ever won two splits in the team’s seven-year-history.

At MSI 2026, Top Esports will likely be a nearly impassable roadblock for any Western team not named G2. However, they will fall to the other Eastern representatives.

Will G2 and TES get their rematch at MSI 2026? Image source: Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games

LEC #1: G2 Esports

G2 is both the unknown quantity and the hope of the West. The only Western team to have a reasonable chance to beat Eastern opponents, the eyes of Europe are on them.

On the other hand, while they’ve done EU proud at First Stand, they’re just as likely to bomb out again this time. Especially considering that all four Eastern teams play a faster style, one they struggle against.

LEC #2: Karmine Corp

KC is finally back on the international stage for the first time since First Stand 2025. However, just like all MSI qualified teams who will start in the play-in stage, their run will likely end early.

In order to advance, KC will have to beat T1 (twice, probably). Which bodes poorly for them and the other play-in teams.

LCS #1: LYON

Just like FlyQuest was, LYON is the LCS team that has the highest chances of pulling upsets, but that still falls short. On their second international in a row, they’re a smart and creative team. At the same time, they’re below the Eastern competition in terms of basics, and those opponents will brute force through them.

LCS #2: Team Liquid

Liquid likes to fight more than their fellow American representative, but they’re still outclassed by the LCK and LPL on that front. As such, they lack the one area that gives LYON hope. Besides, they’re another team stuck in play-in purgatory with T1.

Team Secret Whales walk among the MSI qualified teams in CFO’s footsteps. Image source: Riot Games

LCP #1: Team Secret Whales

Team Secret Whales is among the more aggressive half of all MSI qualified teams. TSW’s mid and jungle look for fights in tandem, while the ADC seeks to skill check every time he can. TSW will be a chaotic and explosive agent in a tournament that already has no lack of these.

LCP #2: Deep Cross Gaming

DCG is the least likely team to make it out of the MSI play-in. A less turbulent representative than TSW, they should lack the surprise factor to upset T1, KC, and TLAW – each of them supposedly much better.

CBLOL #1: FURIA

Rounding out the list of all MSI qualified teams, FURIA won the CBLOL’s Spring Split. The Brazilian champion’s way is to find a plan and fully commit to it. This has worked with enough consistency to win their league; however, it’s now their mechanics and mistakes that will be tested.

Featured image source: Christina Oh / Riot Games

Wasif Ahmed

About Wasif Ahmed

Wasif Ahmed is the Lead Esports Editor for WIN.gg. He has been covering esports for nearly eight years, although his gaming journey started much earlier, when he was just four years old and was introduced to Road Rash on a dusty PC. Hit him up on X to talk about esports, why partnership models are the best fit for esports games, or if Halo 7 has finally been announced.

View full profile

Read Also

Valorant

Leviatán vs MIBR at VCT Americas Stage 2: Betting Predictions and Picks Owen Harsono The top two South American organizations are set to clash in the VCT Americas Stage 2 playoffs, as LEVIATAN take on MIBR for a spot in the Upper Bracket Semifinals in São Paulo. We will look closely at leading Valorant betting sites, and with that in mind, here are our LEVIATAN vs MIBR VCT Americas predictions. Tournament: VCT Americas Stage 2 Playoffs Stage: Playoffs Game: Valorant Format: Best of 3 ...

League of Legends

Caps Hall of Legends skins prices and dates revealed Hannan Mundia Caps is the latest League of Legends player to be inducted into the Hall of Legends, and the LEC player’s dedicated skins have been revealed, including their prices and release dates. The Hall of Legends is Riot Games’ way to honor a handful of the most well-known and celebrated professional players associated with LoL. The first inductee was naturally Faker, while the second was Uzi. The third player is Caps, ...

Dota 2

Team Spirit wins TI15 to lift a record third Aegis of Champions Michael Hassall Team Spirit has defeated TEAM VISION in the grand finals of TI15, The International 2025. In a full five-game series on Aug. 23, Spirit pulled out all the stops and narrowly defeated an incredible VISION team in a back-and-forth series in Shanghai, China. With Spirit’s victory, Illya "Yatoro" Mulyarchuk and Magomed "Collapse" Khalilov become the first ever three-time TI champions, and Team Spirit becomes the first ever organization to lift ...

Dota 2

The International 2026 (TI15) Finals Preview and Predictions Michael Hassall The International 2026, TI15, has reached its final day, and just three teams remain in the fight for the Aegis of Champions. With the lower bracket final and Grand Final still to come, everything comes down to one final day of Dota 2 action. The lower bracket finalists will first battle for the right to reach the main event’s final series, while the winner will advance to face the upper-bracket ...

Fortnite

When does the current Fortnite season end? Zachary Roberts When does the current Fortnite season end? This is a question that’s always important to know the answer to. For one thing, many elements of the season, such as the items and characters, will go away at that time. That is also when players will no longer be able to earn battle pass rewards. The current Fortnite season, Chapter 7 Season 4, began on August 20. It’s expected to run ...

Dota 2

TI15’s opening ceremony weaves a tapestry of emotion for Valve’s storied title Michael Hassall The main stage of The International 2026, TI15, kicked off today with the traditional opening ceremony heralding the start of the biggest celebration of Dota 2 on the calendar. On Aug. 20 fans in Shanghai, China, and at home, were treated to a rousing 11-minute series of performances and video packages, introducing TI15’s main stage show. Here’s how the magic unfolded: The ceremony began with a graphic which quite literally ...

League of Legends

Which Teams Should Be Panicking Ahead of LoL Worlds 2026? Ben Boland The 2026 League of Legends World Championship is fast approaching, with the tournament beginning on 15 October. 19 of the best teams that esports has to offer will do battle in North America for a shot at the Summoner's Cup. For teams like Bilibili Gaming and Hanwha Life Esports, their fates are already sealed without stepping foot on the Rift again, but for the rest of the teams, they will ...