(Photo by Michal Konkol/Riot Games)
The MSI 2023 teams have been confirmed after Mad Lions (pictured) secured their ticket to London by winning the LEC Spring 2023 Finals.
We’ve listed some key info including the list of participating teams, stages, play-ins draw results and more.
MSI 2023 Teams include Mad Lions, G2, C9 and more
Mad Lions reverse swept BDS 3-2 in the LEC Spring 2023 finals yesterday, following wins against G2 and Vitality in the playoffs.
This means they will represent Europe at MSI London with G2, who won the LEC Winter 2023 season earlier in the year, as two MSI 2023 teams.
Mad’s British head coach James ‘Mac’ MacCormack said it was an ‘unreal’ run to MSI and praised his team:
G2 will start in the play-ins stage, while Mad Lions will head straight to the bracket stage along with top seeds and other MSI 2023 teams Gen.G, JDG, Cloud9 and T1. Note, for this year, the second seed from the Korean LCK have advanced straight into the bracket stage, as an LCK team (DRX) also won the 2022 World Championship.
The full list of MSI 2023 teams are as follows:
CHINA – LPL
- JDG Intel Esports Club (JDG) – Bracket Stage
- Bilibili Gaming Pingan Bank (BLG) – Play-Ins Stage
KOREA – LCK
- Gen.G (GEN) – Bracket Stage
- T1 (T1) – Bracket Stage
EUROPE – LEC
- Mad Lions (MAD) – Bracket Stage
- G2 Esports (G2) – Play-Ins Stagte
NORTH AMERICA – LCS
- Cloud9 (C9) – Bracket Stage
- Golden Guardians (GG) – Play-Ins Stage
ASIA PACIFIC – PCS
- PSG Talon (PSG) – Play-Ins Stage
BRAZIL – CBLOL
- LOUD (LLL) – Play-Ins Stage
JAPAN – LJL
- Detonation FocusMe (DFM) – Play-Ins Stage
LATIN AMERICA – LLA
- Movistar R7 (R7) – Play-Ins Stage
VIETNAM – VCS
GAM Esports (GAM) – Play-Ins Stage
MSI 2023 Dates, Stages and Location
MSI has two stages: the Play-In Stage (May 2-7) and the Bracket Stage (May 9-14, May 16-21).
All matches for MSI 2023 teams begin at 5am PST / 1 pm GMT unless otherwise noted.
Play-In Stage
- Tuesday, May 2
- Wednesday, May 3
- Thursday, May 4
- Friday, May 5
- Saturday, May 6 – 4 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. GMT
- Sunday, May 7 – 4 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. GMT
Bracket Stage
- Tuesday, May 9
- Wednesday, May 10
- Thursday, May 11
- Friday, May 12
- Saturday, May 13 – 4 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. GMT
- Sunday, May 14 – 4 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. GMT
- Tuesday, May 16
- Wednesday, May 17
- Thursday, May 18
- Friday, May 19
- Saturday, May 20 – 4 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. GMT
- (Finals) Sunday, May 21 – 4 a.m. PST / 12 p.m. GMT
Your #MSI2023 schedule for the first Bo3s!
— LoL Esports (@lolesports) April 24, 2023
Check out https://t.co/6caS1eW0O4 for your local start times ⏰ pic.twitter.com/GhABhI31Vt
The MSI 2023 tournament will take place in the Copper Box Arena in London, a venue that has played host to other esports events over the years like the Rocket League Spring Finals last year.
The Mayor of London has welcomed LoL fans to London for MSI.
MSI 2023 General Info and Rules
What is the Mid-Season Invitational?
The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is the first international competition of the annual LoL Esports calendar.
It’s an opportunity to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of MSI 2023 teams and regions at the midway point of the season. Representatives from each of the nine regions will battle it out for a shot at the MSI title.
The event moves between host regions each year. This year, teams will compete in London, United Kingdom.
This year’s creative theme is “DEFY.”
Riot Games described the theme as ‘a bold resistance against one’s own limitations. A refusal to give into the naysayers. MSI is the arena where champions will defy what the world thinks of their region. The first step toward greatness is to push beyond the limits and show up with a spirit of DEFIANCE.’
The Official Rules of the 2023 Mid-Season Invitational can be found here.
MSI 2023 Format
PLAY-IN STAGE
The Play-Ins creates a field where the best team from the five smaller regions and the No. 2 seeds from the LPL, LCS, and LEC will fight for three spots in the Bracket Stage.
It will kick off with the eight of these MSI 2023 teams being split into two best-of-3, double-elimination brackets. As these brackets play out, the two teams that go 2-0 will advance directly to the Bracket Stage.
The two MSI 2023 teams that go 0-2 and the two teams that finish 1-2 will be eliminated from MSI.
The two teams that finish 2-1 and win the lower bracket in their group will play each other in a best-of-5 series, with the winner advancing to the Bracket Stage and the loser being eliminated.
BRACKET STAGE
The Bracket Stage will see eight teams face off in a double elimination, best-of-five bracket. This will include the three winners of Play-Ins, along with LEC1, LCS1, LPL1, LCK1, and LCK2.
Bracket Stage matchups will be drawn following the conclusion of the Play-In Stage.
Inkshadow Event Pass and MSI 2023 Esports Premium Bundle
This year, players will have more ways than ever to support the teams they love! 25% of the proceeds for the Inkshadow Event Pass and Inkshadow Yasuo will go to the prize pool.
Riot is also launching a new bundle called the MSI 2023 Esports Premium Bundle that includes the event pass, Inkshadow Yasuo, an exclusive Inkshadow Yasuo chroma and an exclusive emote. 50% of the proceeds from that bundle will be contributed to the prize pool.
More details regarding the event pass and the esports bundle will be released on April 27.
MSI 2023 Merch
Rooted in the theme of ‘Defiance’, 2023 marks the first year that Riot has produced a complete apparel capsule for MSI.
The drop features a variety of tops and accessories for players to celebrate this year’s first international LoL esports competition, taking heavy influence from core design elements of both the MSI brand and the soon-to-be-released Inkshadow skinline.
For those who can’t attend the event in person and watch MSI 2023 teams live, the MSI 2023 Collection will be available online on Riot’s merch store for a limited time beginning April 25.
More from MSI 2023: Get the latest news from Esports News UK
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- MSI 2023 drops include exclusive Master Yi emote
- Why Yuumi and Milio will not be playable at MSI 2023
Esports News UK MSI 2023 Coverage Powered by SideQuest Gamers Hub
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
