The 2026 Mid-Season Invitational kicks off in 13 days. All six qualified regions have held their finals. In the LCS, YLON defeated TL 3-0 to become the NA first seed. Meanwhile, in the LPL, BLG swept Top Esports 3-0 to win the championship. With both Bin and Dhokla in the main event, this MSI offers a genuine opportunity for payback.

In the LCK lower bracket final, T1 faced GEN in a five-game thriller. In the end, Faker’s Ryze turned up to lead the team to MSI. After these three finals, all 11 participating teams and their seeding for this MSI are set. Here’s the seeding breakdown: the top seeds from the five major regions are BLG, HLE, G2, LYON, and TSW. Brazil only sends one team, FURIA, which is also considered a first seed.

The second-seed teams are T1, TES, TL, KC, and DCG. Except for Top Esports, all of them must play in the Play‑In stage. Four teams will battle for one spot in the main event. Since the LPL is the First Stand champion region, Top Esports joins the six first‑seed teams directly in the main event. The Play‑In is a double‑elimination BO5 format. Barring surprises, Faker should lead T1 to qualify, as the LCK second seed is vastly stronger than the others.

The Play‑In starts on the 28th. With T1 involved, it should be interesting. The main event begins on July 3, giving the teams already qualified for the knockout stage over half a month of rest. Top Esports might adjust their roster for this MSI. During a livestream, Zhuo hinted that Top Esports can't take a break yet—there are other arrangements to follow. Could it be that 369 is coming back? A two‑top‑laner approach might not be a bad idea.

After winning the championship, Bin stayed as confident as ever. He posted afterward: "I’m still going to win MSI." Last time at First Stand, Bin promised to bring home a trophy—and he actually delivered. This year, his trustworthiness can't be questioned. Hopefully BLG can really claim the title. After the finals, the LPL Worlds qualification points were updated, with BLG leading at 190 points.

Top Esports sits at second place with only 90 points, a 100‑point gap behind BLG. This means among all LPL teams, only Top Esports could potentially overtake BLG—but only if they finish second in the 3rd split. However, if BLG simply makes the playoffs next split, they are guaranteed at least 15 points, bringing their total to 205. Even if Top Esports finishes second, they’d max out at 200 points, still not enough to surpass BLG.

In other words, as long as BLG reaches the playoffs next split, they secure the highest cumulative points for the year and automatically qualify for Worlds. For BLG, making playoffs is easier than pouring water. So we can safely assume BLG has locked in a World Championship spot as a top‑two seed, four months in advance. At this point, Bin’s classic quote is appropriate: "Do we really need to make a big deal about entering Worlds?"

Talking about Worlds is still a bit early—the focus should be on MSI. The LPL’s two teams probably won't face very strong opponents in the knockout stage—likely teams from Brazil, Europe, or North America. The first‑round matchups in the knockout stage depend on the results of the First Stand tournament. Since the LPL is the First Stand champion region, they are unlikely to face LCK in the first round. However, nothing is fully confirmed until the official announcement.

Conclusion:

This year's Mid-Season Invitational is bound to be exciting. Just look at the names: T1, HLE, BLG, TES—they guarantee great matches. Top Esports might be unreliable; they could even set a new record at MSI. As for the champion, it will most likely come from among T1, HLE, and BLG. Hopefully BLG can take the title.

So, which of the four Chinese and Korean teams do you think is the strongest?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!