MSI 2023 starts later today and until May 21.
After a long and arduous first half of the season, we're finally at the Mid-Season Invitational, held in the Copper Box Arena in London, England. Unlike the previous seasons, this year's edition of MSI will feature 13 teams that will battle for the coveted trophy, two more than last season.
This year at MSI, these 13 teams will battle for the lion's share of the 250,000 USD prize pool as well as bragging rights to being the reigning champions of the tournament. And with Royal Never Give Up not in contention to defend their title for a third consecutive run, it's anybody's title now.
Bracket & Schedule
MSI starts from May 2 - 21 with two brackets to play through. Unlike previous years where there is a group stage portion, this year's edition of MSI will feature a play-in stage bracket and a playoff bracket. It will also be in a double-elimination format now, giving teams a second chance at glory.
The play-in stage will feature the eight qualified teams from each region that will compete for three qualification slots in the playoff stage. This will include two spots in the upper bracket and just one in the lower bracket. These three qualified teams will join the five others that made it to the playoff bracket by being regional split champions.
All games in the play-in stage will be a best-of-three while the lower bracket finals are a best-of-five. When they get to the playoff stage, all matches will be in a best-of-five setting.
Play-in Stage
- May 2 - 7
Playoffs Stage
- May 9 - 14, May 16 - 21
Teams
Of the 13 teams that qualified for MSI, only the LCK had been granted an additional slot due to the region being the world champion holders. This also gave the two LCK teams the chance to start from the playoff bracket along with three other teams from the LPL, LCS, and LEC respectively.
Of the 13 teams that qualified for MSI, only the LCK, LCS, LEC, and LPL were granted an additional slot. With the LCK being the region of the current world champions, both slots go directly to the playoffs stage. As for the winners of the LEC (Spring only), LPL, and LCS regional splits, they will also start in the bracket stage.
For the teams that finished second in their regional splits, they will join the rest of the other regions like the LJL, CBLOL, PCS, VCS, and LLA.
Playoff Stage
Gen.G
T1
JD Gaming
Cloud9
MAD Lions
Play-in Stage
Bilibili Gaming
GAM Esports
PSG Talon
DetonatioN FocusMe
G2 Esports
LOUD
Golden Guardians
Movistar R7
Winnings
There will be a total of 250,000 USD up for grabs at MSI 2023 with the winner taking the lion's share of the prize pool with 20 per cent. Here is the breakdown of the prize pool distribution:
- 1st place: 50,000 USD (20%)
- 2nd place: 37,500 USD (15%)
- 3rd place: 30,000 USD (12%)
- 4th place: 25,000 USD (10%)
- 5th - 6th place: 20,000 USD (8%)
- 7th - 8th place: 15,000 USD (6%)
- 9th place: 12,500 USD (5%)
- 10th - 11th place: 7,500 USD (3%)
- 12th - 13th place: 5,000 USD (2%)
Be sure to catch all the action at the Mid-Season Invitational only on the official Riot Games Twitch channel.
