Esports News
Last updated: May 22, 2023 (final match results and standings).
The highly-anticipated 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, MSI for short, began on, May 2. The MSI is the first international event of the year and one of the biggest League of Legends on their esports calendar. The best LoL pro teams showcase their technical prowess at the Copper Box Arena, London, in front of thousands of fans in-person and via live streams.
Thirteen teams will battle it out for the MSI 2023 title and the lion's share of the whopping $250,000 prize pool. Which team will take home the crown? Only one way to find out! Here's everything you need to know about MSI 2023.
The Mid-Season Invitational 2023 is split into two stages: the play-in stage and the bracket stage. Both stages will feature a double-elimination bracket to keep things exciting. MSI 2023 will begin on May 2 and end with a bang on May 21 with the Grand Final.
The remaining eight teams will be split into two groups of four teams, with every match being a best of three with a double elimination format. The group winners and the winner of a LCQ match (last chance qualification) will proceed to the bracket stage and join the five invited teams.
Eight teams participate in this round, with three Play-In teams and five teams having prequalified from various tournaments in major regions. All matches in the bracket stage are best-of-five.
The first seeds from the major leagues: LEC, LCK, LCS, and LPL, receive an automatic bye through to the bracket stage and will each be represented by two teams in a format shake-up. LCK are also currently the reigning world champions, receiving an additional slot for their region in the bracket stage. There are some really strong contenders for this year's MSI crown - who will take the win?
Here is a rundown of all the teams competing for this year's MSI title, including how they qualified and their full-player roster.
Bilibili Gaming is qualified for the MSI as the LPL Spring runners-up.
DetonatioN FocusMe earned their play-in-stage slot as the current LJL Spring 2023 champions.
G2 Esports became the first team to qualify for this year's MSI play-in stage after winning the LEC Winter 2023 Split, representing the EMEA region.
Gam Esports earned their slot in this year's MSI international tournament by winning the VCS 2023.
Golden Guardians are a League of Legends esports team interestingly operated and owned by the NBA team, Golden State Warriors. They earned their MSI slot by being the LCS 2023 Spring runners-up.
LOUD are a Brazillian esports team, qualified through the CBLOL Split 1.
Previously known as Rainbow 7, Movistar R7 are finally back on stage for the first time since 2020. They emerged as the Latin America champions in the Opening Season, qualifying for the MSI.
PSG Talon is the current PCS Spring 2023 champion, rightfully earning their slot in the MSI play-in bracket.
Cloud9 is the current reigning LCS Spring champion, receiving a straight bye into the bracket stage of the MSI.
Gen.G won this year's LCK Spring split, and this will be their first-ever MSI appearance. As LCK were the winning region of last year's LoL Worlds, they get to take two regions into the MSI this year.
JD Gaming earned their spot through the LPL league as the current champions.
MAD Lions won this year's LEC Spring 2023 split after a dominant performance throughout - you can find our detailed coverage here.
T1 is a powerhouse team in the League of Legends esports sphere and is a team to keep an eye on as the second team from the LCK region in this year's MSI.
MSI 2023 will be held at the Copper Box Arena in London, built especially for the 2012 Olympic Games. Tickets for the event can be found here, with prices as low as £22!
For any fans that can't make it to the international tournament, don't worry! All MSI games will be broadcast live on the Riot Games Twitch channel, which is embedded below for your convenience.
Below is the official schedule for the Play-Ins. All times listed will be in BST, and match winners are in bold.
Below you can find the current standings, aswell as the prize pool distribution.
1) JD Gaming - $50,000
2) Bilibili Gaming - $37,500
3) T1 - $30,000
4) Gen.G - $25,000
5-6) Cloud9, G2 Esports - $20,000 each
7-8) Golden Guardians, MAD Lions - $15,000 each
9) PSG Talon - $12,500
10-11) Movistar 7, LOUD - $7,500 each
12-13) GAM Esports, DetonatioN FocusMe - $5,000 each
That's everything fans need to know about the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational. We will update this article with information as it becomes available, including the current standings and match results, so watch this space!
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