First Look: League of Legends MSI and Worlds 2026 Tournament Details

While we are still in the early part of the year, exciting first details about the two biggest League of Legends tournaments for 2026 — the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) and the World Championship (Worlds) — have already been revealed. Here's what we know so far about the dates, venues, and some format changes for these prestigious esports events.

Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026: Daejeon, South Korea

The MSI 2026 will take place in Daejeon, South Korea, from Sunday, June 28th to Sunday, July 12th, 2026.

This tournament will follow the international league season after the conclusion of the First Stand Tournament and the second split of the regional leagues. A small format change will be implemented: the Play-In stage will now feature a four-team, double-elimination bracket, from which only one team will advance to the main bracket stage. The seven teams that will directly skip Play-Ins are the first and second-place finishers from each region, with the region that won the First Stand Tournament securing two direct spots.

In total, 11 teams will compete in MSI 2026: one team from CBLOL and two teams each from the LCK, LCS, LCP, LEC, and LPL.

League of Legends World Championship (Worlds) 2026: United States

The pinnacle event of League of Legends in 2026, and one of the biggest esports gatherings of the year, will be Worlds 2026. It is scheduled to begin on October 15th and run until November 14th, with each stage being held in a different city across the United States:

• Play-Ins: Riot Games Arena, Los Angeles, California
• Swiss Stage: October 23rd-26th and October 28th-31st in Allen, Texas
• Knockout Stage: November 3rd-8th in Allen, Texas
• Grand Final: November 14th in Brooklyn, New York

These will not be the only League of Legends esports events in 2026, as numerous regional, off-season, and supplementary tournaments are expected throughout the year.