Each year, the League of Legends competitive season breaks at its midpoint to host an international event known as MSI. The Mid-Season Invitational is not as large as Worlds, but it still holds a very important position in the calendar. Teams that qualify are already the best from their respective regions, and the tournament provides a first real look at how they stack up against their international opponents. This is where regional metas collide with each other, champion pools get exposed, and the top teams set the tone for what to expect in the second half of the year, and even the Worlds Championship.
If you're a fan of LoL Esports or even a returning viewer after a break, here’s a full breakdown of the current Mid-Season Invitational cycle.
The Mid-Season Invitational is one of Riot Games' two official international tournaments for League of Legends, alongside the World Championship. Unlike Worlds, which hosts multiple teams from major regions, MSI only invites one representative per region based on performance in the Spring Split. Some regions may earn additional slots through previous international performance, but the general structure is one representative per competitive league.
MSI is designed to provide competitive interregional play early in the year. This helps Riot balance regional seeding and power rankings heading into Worlds. It drums up marketing for Worlds while also serving as a showcase for the meta earlier in the year.
From a structural standpoint, MSI is also more compact than Worlds. There are fewer teams, the event is shorter, and the focus is tighter on upper-echelon play. Yet despite its smaller scale, MSI has consistently produced some of the most competitive series in the game’s history.
MSI 2024 officially began on May 1 and ran through May 19. This included the Play-In Stage, Bracket Stage, and Finals, all completed over the course of three weeks. The schedule allowed for several days of rest and adjustment between rounds, which helped keep the matches high quality without overloading viewers or players.
This start date followed the end of Spring Splits across all regions. Riot generally confirms MSI dates shortly after Spring Playoffs conclude.
The 2024 Mid-Season Invitational was hosted in Chengdu, China. Riot selected Chengdu for its strong local fanbase and recent investment in esports infrastructure. The matches took place in the Chengdu Financial City Performing Arts Center, a venue capable of accommodating both domestic and international audiences.
MSI 2025 has already been announced and will take place in Vancouver, Canada. It marks the second time that MSI takes place in North America, and the first ever for Canada.
Riot has stated that the goal of these venue rotations is to give different regional fanbases an opportunity to attend live international events. Berlin will likely draw strong attendance from across Europe, especially with LEC teams always drawing solid support during MSI.
The MSI 2024 format featured 12 teams divided into two phases: the Play-In Stage and the Bracket Stage.
Eight teams competed in the Play-In Stage. These included second seeds from major regions like LPL and LCK, as well as representatives from minor regions. The Play-In was a double-elimination bracket, meaning a team had to lose twice before being eliminated. From this stage, the top four teams advanced to the Bracket Stage.
Play-In games were best-of-three and best-of-five depending on progression through the bracket. This ensured that all advancing teams had proven themselves in longer series rather than just single-match volatility.
The Bracket Stage brought in the top seeds from the LPL, LCK, LEC, and LCS, who had auto-qualified past Play-Ins. These four were joined by the top four teams emerging from the Play-In bracket.
This stage was played as a double-elimination bracket as well, with all matches being best-of-five. The double-elimination format helped ensure competitive fairness while still allowing the best teams to recover from early losses.
The final was played between the two surviving teams from the Bracket Stage on May 19. Gen.G from Korea took the championship, defeating Bilibili Gaming in a 3-1 series.
The finals drew millions of viewers globally and cemented the MSI as one of the highest-earning esports events in history.
Gen.G won the 2024 Mid-Season Invitational, defeating Bilibili Gaming 3-1 in the finals. This victory marked Gen.G’s first international title, a significant achievement for a team that had consistently dominated the LCK but had fallen short on the global stage until now.
Their performance throughout the tournament was defined by disciplined macro play, strong lane control, and a varied champion pool across all roles. Mid laner Chovy delivered a standout performance, finally securing his first-ever international final after seven years since his pro career debut with Griffin.
The win reinforced the LCK’s strength internationally and has shifted expectations heading into Worlds 2025. Gen.G’s breakthrough will likely serve as a benchmark for other contenders, and their players are now firmly in the spotlight as international threats that rival even the likes of T1.
In the finals, Gen.G also set a record for the most kills in one international game. Peyz finished their second game of the set with an absolutely unheard of score of 27/2.
MSI 2025 will be the first international event to utilize Fearless Draft, a new system that aims to incentivize more out-of-the-box picks from players.
In this format, champions picked in previous games of a best-of-series become unavailable for both teams in subsequent games. This rewards more diverse champion pools and aims to keep picks from becoming too stale.
We’ve yet to see the effects of Fearless Draft in a large-scale professional set, but we expect a pretty unpredictable event, given the influx of rising star teams and underdogs coinciding with the format change.
Chances are, if the new format is a good addition to MSI, we’ll also see it added onto the 2025 World Championship’s format rules.
The Mid-Season Invitational plays an important role in determining regional seeding for the World Championship. Teams that perform well at MSI help secure additional seeds or better placements for their regions. This directly affects how many teams a region sends to Worlds and how early those teams have to play in the tournament structure.
MSI also functions as a stress test for top teams. It is often the first time rosters face non-domestic opponents, which exposes gaps in champion pools, draft flexibility, and communication under pressure. Coaching staffs use MSI to evaluate how their teams perform in high-pressure international environments, then use the Summer Split to address those weaknesses.
More often than not, we also see rising star teams rack up their first wins in MSI.
From a viewership standpoint, MSI also helps build narratives for the rest of the year. Rivalries emerge, expectations are reset, and fan interest often increases as teams ramp up their efforts to qualify for Worlds. This makes MSI a critical inflection point in the season, not just for teams, but also for audiences and analysts.
When does MSI start 2024? June 27–July 12, 2025
MSI 2024 started on May 1 and ended on May 19.
Where is MSI this year?
The 2024 event was held in Chengdu, China. The 2025 event will be in Vancouver, Canada.
When is MSI 2024?
MSI 2024 was played from May 1 through May 19, 2024.
Who won MSI 2024?
Gen.G won MSI 2024, defeating Bilibili Gaming 3-1 in the finals.
When does MSI start?
MSI 2025 will be played from June 27 to July 12. MSI usually begins in May and June after the conclusion of regional Spring Splits.
Where is MSI 2025?
MSI 2025 will take place in Vancouver, Canada.
MSI offers top teams an early opportunity to test themselves internationally and allows fans to see how regions stack up heading into the second half of the year. The 2024 tournament brought incredibly high viewership, and expectations are already building for what Vancouver will bring in 2025.
For full schedules, match VODs, and team details, visit the official LoL Esports website. Keep an eye on patch developments and Summer Split standings, since these will shape who returns to the international stage later this year at Worlds.
