The Mid-Season Invitational, one of the biggest tournaments in LoL-eSport, will start in a week. Which top teams will be competing against each other this year?
After the World Championship, the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is probably the biggest tournament in League of Legends eSports. Every year in May, the best teams from all regions of the world compete against each other.
The MSI brings together the winners from the Spring Splits of the various regional leagues, such as LEC, LCS and LCK in a tournament format and is through this constellation one of the most important and exciting LoL events of the year.
MSI 2022: All Participants
This year the tournament will take place in Busan, South Korea. The last international LoL tournament held on the peninsula was the World Championship in 2018, but this is actually the first time the eSports-loving country has hosted the MSI.
The respective winner of each region’s Spring Split will qualify for the competition. The participants are:
– G2 Esports (LEC)
– PSG Talon (PCS)
– Evil Geniuses (LCS)
– T1 (LCK)
– Royal Never Give Up (LPL)
– Saigon Buffalo (VCS)
– RED Canids (CBLOL)
– Detonation FoucsME (LJL)
– ORDER (LCO)
– Istanbul Wildcats (TCL)
– Team Aze (LLA)
Without team from Russia; defending champions must stay home
This year the tournament will not take place quite as usual. Actually, twelve participants are scheduled for the event. However, due to the ongoing Ukraine war, no matches were played in the LCL. Thus, no team from the region will be represented.
Furthermore, one participating team cannot be present on site in Busan. The Chinese representatives from RNG cannot travel to South Korea due to travel restrictions. They will play online against the other teams, while the MSI in Busan is otherwise held as an offline event in front of an audience.
So RNG will try to defend their title under special conditions. They won the MSI in 2021 and are considered co-favourites again this year.
T1 and G2 Esports as favourites
The focus will most likely be on T1 during the tournament. The South Korean side has not lost a single match so far this season. With a 20-0 winning streak behind them, the team of superstar ‘Faker’ will go into the domestic tournament as clear favourites.
The European selection from G2 Esports can also be counted among this group. The Berlin-based organisation won the LEC Spring Split in impressive style and could already bring home the title in 2019.
The MSI starts on 10 May, with the final taking place on 29 May. A prize pool of over 250,000 US dollars and direct qualification for the upcoming World Championships will be played for.