League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 2022: Everything you need to know

The League of Legends (LoL) Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2022 is almost upon us, and we’re sure you’re excited to see your favourite teams clash head-to-head in a bid for the year's first international LoL title.

The MSI is an annual global tournament that gathers some of the world’s best teams and is the second-most prestigious international LoL tournament (behind Worlds, of course).

The event is touted as the "tournament of champions," since only the top teams of LoL's 12 Tier 1 Regional Leagues across the globe may qualify.

MSI takes place between the domestic leagues' Spring and Summer Splits and serves as a good indicator of which regions and teams will perform well at the World Championship.

There are at least two teams from each region that will qualify for Worlds, with the top regions typically having four teams invited.

This year, eleven out of twelve regional champions will compete for the 2022 MSI championship in Busan, South Korea.

The LoL Continental League (LCL) will not send a team to the MSI due to the cancellation of Eastern Europe’s 2022 LCL Spring Split.

Here’s everything you need to know about MSI 2022

Schedule

The MSI 2022 will be split into three phases, with each phase being played on separate stretches. Each stage will be followed by several days of rest for the teams.

Group stage: May 10 to 15

Rumble stage: May 18 to 22

Knockout stage: May 27 to 29

Format

At the MSI 2022, the best teams from each of the 11 regions will compete in the Group Stage, Rumble Stage, and Knockout Stage.

In the Group Stage, 11 teams are split into one group of three and two groups of four teams. Group A and B will play in a double round-robin format, while Group C will play in a quadruple round-robin format. All matches are a best-of-one.

The top two teams per group will advance to the Rumble Stage, while the bottom two will be eliminated.

In the Rumble Stage, the six remaining teams will play in another double-round robin format with best-of-one matches. The top four teams will advance to the Knockout Stage while the bottom two teams will be eliminated.

In the Knockout Stage, the first seed of the Rumble Stage will choose to face either the third or fourth-place team in the semifinals. The second-place team will go head-to-head with the team that was not chosen. The semifinals will be a best-of-five, single-elimination match.

Whoever wins the semis will move on to the Finals where they will have one last best-of-five match in a bid for the MSI 2022 championship.

Prize Pool

The total prize pool for the MSI 2022 is US$250,000.The breakdown of the prizes will be as follows:

1st – US$75,000

2nd – US$50,000

3rd to 4th - US$25,000

5th to 6th - US$17,500

7th to 9th - US$8,325

10th to 11th - US$5,000

Participating Teams

• DetonatioN FocusMe – LJL Spring (Japan)

• Evil Geniuses – LCS Spring (North America)

• G2 Esports – LEC Spring (Europe)

• Istanbul Wildcats – TCL Winter (Turkey)

• ORDER – LCO Split 1 (Oceania)

• PSG Talon – PCS Spring (South East Asia)

• Red Canids – CBLOL Split 1 (Brazil)

• Royal Never Give Up – LPL Spring (China)

• Saigon Buffalo – VCS Spring (Vietnam)

• T1 – LCK Spring (South Korea)

• Team Aze – LLA Opening (Latin America)

Where to watch

MSI 2022 will be the first international LoL event to have a live audience since 2019. The tournament's three stages will all take place in Busan's Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO).

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday (4 May). Check here to learn more about the ticket information.

Fans can also watch online through the LoL Esports website, and official Youtube and Twitch channels.

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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