League of Legends’ competitive season kicks off with exciting news for the fans. Riot Games has shared an update regarding the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational, revealing an updated format. As had been reported earlier, the event will take place in London, England.
Thirteen teams compete at MSI 2023, up from eleven teams in previous years. The major regions (LPL, LCK, LEC, and LCS) each get to send two representatives to the tournament. The LLA, CBLOL, PCS, VCS, and LJL have one representative at the event.
The Play-In Stage
MSI 2023 is split into two stages. The Play-In Stage pits eight teams against each other and searches for three teams to advance to the next stage.
The champions of the LLA, CBLOL, PCS, VCS, and LJL join the second seeds of the LEC, LCS, and LPL in two groups of four. There, they compete in a best-of-three, Double Elimination bracket. The two teams that win their respective groups advance to the next stage. The third and final ticket to the Bracket Stage is handed out to the winner of the lower bracket final, where the two second-best teams from each group battle each other.
The Bracket Stage
In the Bracket Stage, MSI 2023 uses a Double Elimination format as well. The three teams that qualified through the Play-In Stage join the champions of the LEC, LCS, LPL, and LCK, as well as the second seed of the LCK (who get a “Worlds winner” bonus).
The second phase of the tournament does not split the eight teams into two groups again. Instead, the MSI 2023 Bracket Stage uses one big Double Elimination bracket to determine who lifts the trophy at the end of it all. All matches in the Bracket Stage are best-of-five series.
The exact date for MSI 2023 has not been announced yet, though the tournament usually takes place in the middle of May. Riot also shared news regarding Worlds 2023, which you can read here.
