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The 2023 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) ran from May 2 to May 21, 2023, with 13 teams from around the world playing in a Play-In Stage and a Bracket Stage. This page explains the format, the teams and the schedule.
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What is the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI)?
The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is an annual international League of Legends tournament that has been held since 2015. Riot Games organises it, and top teams from around the world compete for the title. It is called the Mid-Season Invitational because it is usually held in the middle of the League of Legends season. MSI 2023 took place at the Copper Box Arena in London. The tournament has been hosted in different parts of the world, including Europe, South America and Asia.
MSI 2023 format and teams
MSI 2023 had two stages, the Play-In Stage and the Bracket Stage, and the winner was crowned Mid-Season Invitational champion.
Participating teams
MSI 2023 featured 13 teams from around the globe. There were two teams each from the top four leagues: LCK (Korea), LPL (China), LEC (Europe) and LCS (North America). The other leagues sent one team each: LLA (Latin America), CBLOL (Brazil), PCS (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asia and Oceania), VCS (Vietnam) and LJL (Japan). Those teams started in the Play-In Stage.
| Stage | Qualified teams |
|---|---|
| Play-In Stage | LEC #2, LCS #2, LPL #2, CBLOL #1, LJL #1, LLA #1, VCS #1, PCS #1 |
| Bracket Stage | LEC #1, LCS #1, LPL #1, LCK #1 and LCK #2 |
Play-In Stage
The eight Play-In teams were split into two groups of four. Each group played best-of-three, double elimination matches. The winner of each four-team group and the winner of a last-chance match between the two lower bracket winners moved on to the Bracket Stage to join the five directly qualified teams.
Bracket Stage
Eight teams played the Bracket Stage in a double elimination, best-of-five bracket: the three Play-In winners, plus LEC #1, LCS #1, LPL #1, LCK #1 and LCK #2.
What changed in the format
MSI 2023 expanded the field to 13 teams instead of 11. Both the Play-In Stage and the Bracket Stage used double elimination.
MSI 2023 schedule and where to watch
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Play-In Stage | May 2 to 7, 2023 |
| Bracket Stage | May 9 to 14, 2023 and May 16 to 20, 2023 |
| Final | May 21 |
MSI 2023 was broadcast live on the official Riot Games Twitch channel. It was also streamed on YouTube and other streaming platforms, depending on the region.
Is MSI worth following?
MSI is a good way to watch League of Legends teams from different regions face each other. MSI 2023 had a bigger field of 13 teams and a double elimination format. For more esports news, see the Ugrado guides.
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