MSI 2022 is coming – All info on the LoL mega event in South Korea

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The next Esport Tournament in League of Legends starts in May. An overview around the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational in summary.

The MSI 2022 is coming up – All info on the LoL mega event in South Korea

The next Esport Tournament in League of Legends starts in May. An overview around the 2022 Mid-Season Invitational in summary

It’s the big prestige event in League of Legends. At the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI), champions from the best regions of the world put their skills to the test. Fans from Europe are especially looking to LEC champion G2 Esports, while the resurgent T1 is one of the top favourites on home soil.

A start date for MSI 2022 has already been set – from 10 to 29 May, the best teams from the various pro regions will compete against each other in League of Legends.

Location of the MSI and schedule

This year, the so-called Mini World Championship will take place in Busan. This means that the MSI 2022 will be in South Korea for the first time. So far, the mega event is planned offline as well as online. However, it is not yet known whether fans will also be able to be on site. The group stage will also take place in the Busan Esports Arena. The rest of the tournament will be broadcast from the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Last year, the MSI took place in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik. At this offline event, all teams were already back on site; a year earlier, the tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. In Reykjavik, LPL champions from China Royal Never Give Up beat LCK champions DWG KIA from South Korea in the final to claim the prestigious victory. They even have a chance to defend their title at the MSI 2022.

These teams have qualified

The MSI 2022 will feature a total of eleven teams, just like last year. However, there will be no representative from the LCL as the Spring Split in the CIS region was cancelled due to the war in Ukraine. From Europe, record champion G2 Esports will compete, who won every playoff match without losing a game after a clear improvement in performance in the LEC Spring Split.

  • G2 Esports (LEC)
  • Evil Geniuses (LCS)
  • T1 (LCK)
  • Royal Never Give Up (LPL)
  • Saigon Buffalo (VCS)
  • PSG Talon (PCS)
  • Istanbul Wildcats (TCL)
  • RED Canids (CBLOL)
  • ORDER (LCO)
  • DetonatioN FocusMe (LJL)
  • Team Aze (LLA)

Korea Champion T1, with star player Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, is one of the favourites for MSI 2022. After all, the team had a perfect Spring Split in the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK). The Chinese team Royal Never Give Up will not be able to participate locally due to strict travel conditions caused by the pandemic. Therefore, the defending champions will try to defend their title online either from their own training ground or the LPL Arena in Shanghai.

In addition to the trophy, there is prize money to be won

Last year, prize money worth a total of 250,000 US dollars was up for grabs at the tournament and the same amount is expected to be won this year. The exact percentage that first place will receive is not yet known. However, like last year, it could be 30 per cent and thus the winners of the MSI 2022 would receive just under 75,000 US dollars. However, prize money plays a less important role in the professional area of LoL, because fixed salaries and franchise income are regulated via contracts through the owner Riot Games.

How the mega event works

The MSI 2022 will start on 10 May and will be played in three different phases. The first phase is the group phase. This runs from 10 to 15 May. There, the teams will compete against each other in three groups. Due to the fact that there are only eleven teams, there are only three teams in a group. The matches will be contested as a best-of-one. The best two teams in each group will advance to Stage 2.

Group A:

  • T1
  • Saigon Buffalo
  • Team Aze
  • DetonatioN FocusMe

Group B:

  • Istanbul Wildcats
  • PSG Talon
  • RED Canids
  • Royal Never Give Up

Group C:

  • Evil Geniuses
  • G2 Esports
  • ORDER

Next up is the Rumble stage at MSI 2022. From 18 to 22 May, the six remaining teams will meet in this mode. There, too, the matches will be contested in a best-of-one. Each team will play each other twice and only the best four teams will make it to the final stage of the tournament.

The knockout phase of the MSI 2022 will take place from 27 to 29 May. Here, the last four remaining teams will compete in best-of-five matches. The two teams that prevail in the semi-finals will go for the title in the final. On 29 May, it will be decided which team will emerge victorious from the MSI 2022 and take home the coveted trophy.