The 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is set to take place in Daejeon, South Korea, bringing together the best teams from every region for a midyear showdown that impacts World Championship qualification. With a revamped Play-In Stage, new fan engagement features, and exclusive rewards, this year's MSI promises to be a spectacle of rivalry and high-stakes competition.
Tournament Format and Schedule
MSI 2026 will follow a similar structure to last year, with the key change in the Play-In Stage. The Play-In Stage runs from June 28 to July 1 and features a 4-team Double-Elimination Bracket, where only one team advances to the Bracket Stage. The Bracket Stage, an 8-team Double-Elimination Bracket, takes place from July 3-6 and July 8-12. Teams from each major region include Team Secret Whales (TSW) and Revolve Deep Cross Gaming (DCG), among others. The official rules are available on the LoL Esports website.
Fan Engagement: Drops, Pick’Ems, and Crystal Ball
Drops return for MSI 2026, offering exclusive rewards like the new “Ducky!” and “No Running!” icons featuring Yunara and Renekton, plus partner activations from Opera GX, Secretlab, and Coinbase. To earn drops, watch matches live on LoLEsports.com while logged in with your Riot ID. Twitch subscribers to LoL Esports channels get custom emotes, badges, and ad-free viewing, with a portion of proceeds supporting the Global Revenue Pool.
Pick’Ems powered by AWS lets fans predict tournament results for in-game rewards, accessible via LoLEsports.com or the League client.
Crystal Ball, new to MSI, challenges fans to forecast meta trends, player performance, and moments like whether Teemo will appear on the international stage. Four predictions resolve after Play-Ins, and 16 after the tournament. Lock predictions by June 28 for an exclusive “Doesn’t Look Good” emote.
Revenue-Share Skin and Winner Accessories
The official revenue-share champion and skin for MSI 2026 is Broken Covenant Jhin. Fans can purchase the skin (1350 RP), Border Set Bundle (2660 RP), or Chroma Bundle (4110 RP), with individual chromas at 290 RP each. After the champion is crowned, MSI Winner accessories—an Icon (250 RP) and Emote (350 RP)—will be available, with the winning region able to buy them for 1 Blue Essence each. A portion of proceeds supports LoL Esports teams competing in 2026.
Source: This information is based on the original article by Riot Games, titled "MSI 2026 Primer," published on LoLEsports.com.