The Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is an annual League of Legends tournament organized by Riot Games. It takes place in the middle of the year and has been held since 2015. It is the second most important international League of Legends tournament after the World Championship.

In 2015 and 2016, the tournament included the Spring Split champions from five major League of Legends regions: LEC, LCS, LCK, LMS, and LPL. A wildcard team from a region chosen through the International Wildcard Invitational also participated. This event happened a few weeks before the MSI. In the first MSI, the Chinese team Edward Gaming won the tournament by defeating the South Korean team SK Telecom T1 3–2 in the final.

Since 2017, all regions’ Spring Split champions have been invited to the MSI. The International Wildcard Invitational was replaced by the Play-in Stage. The region that performs best in the Play-in Stage earns a direct spot in the World Championship’s Group Stage for their Summer Split champion. The top four regions also receive a pool 1 spot in the World Championship’s Group Stage.

The Chinese team Royal Never Give Up has won the MSI three times, making them the most successful team in the tournament’s history.

History

The 2015 Mid-Season Invitational took place from May 7–10, 2015, in Tallahassee, Florida. Five teams qualified by winning the Spring Split in their regional leagues, and one team from the Wildcard regions qualified by winning the Mid-Season International Wildcard Invitational (IWCI). All games were held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. The final match on May 10, 2015, was between Edward Gaming from China's League of Legends Pro League and SK Telecom T1 from South Korea's League of Legends Champions Korea. Edward Gaming won the first championship 3–2.

The 2016 Mid-Season Invitational occurred from May 4–15, 2016, in Shanghai, China. Five teams qualified by winning the Spring Split in their regional leagues, and one team from the Wildcard regions qualified by winning the IWCI. All games were held at the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The final match on May 10, 2016, was between Counter Logic Gaming from North America's League of Legends Championship Series and SK Telecom T1 from South Korea's LCK. SK Telecom T1 won the championship 3–0. Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok was named the MVP in the final.

The 2017 Mid-Season Invitational was held from April 28 to May 21, 2017, in two cities in Brazil: São Paulo (play-in stage) and Rio de Janeiro (groups and knockout stages). Thirteen teams qualified by winning their Spring Splits. Teams from Europe (EU LCS), South Korea (LCK), and China (LPL) were automatically entered into the main event, while other teams competed in the play-in stage. The final on May 21, 2017, was between defending champions SK Telecom T1 from South Korea's LCK and G2 Esports from Europe's LEC. SK Telecom T1 won the championship 3–1, becoming the first team to win back-to-back Mid-Season Invitationals. Lee "Wolf" Jae-wan was named the MVP in the final.

The 2018 Mid-Season Invitational took place from May 3–20, 2018, in Berlin, Germany (play-in and groups), and Paris, France (knockout stage). Fourteen teams qualified by winning their Spring Splits. Teams from South Korea (LCK), North America (NA LCS), and China (LPL) were automatically seeded into the group stage, while other teams competed in the play-in stage. The final on May 20, 2018, was between King-Zone DragonX from South Korea's LCK and Royal Never Give Up from China's LPL. Royal Never Give Up won the championship 3–1. Jian "Uzi" Zihao was named the MVP in the final.

The 2018 final was one of the most-watched esports matches in history, with over 127 million unique viewers, mostly from China. The entire event had a total viewing time of over 2 billion hours.

The 2019 Mid-Season Invitational was held from May 1–19, 2019, in Vietnam and Taiwan. Three cities hosted the event: Ho Chi Minh City (play-in), Hanoi (groups), and Taipei (knockout stage). Thirteen teams qualified based on regional results from the previous two years. Teams from Europe (LEC), South Korea (LCK), and China (LPL) started in the main group stage, while teams from North America (LCS) and Taiwan/Hong Kong/Macau (LMS) began in the second round of the play-in stage. The final on May 19, 2019, was between G2 Esports from Europe's LEC and Team Liquid from North America's LCS. G2 Esports won the championship 3–0, becoming the first European team to win the Mid-Season Invitational. Rasmus "Caps" Winther was named the MVP in the final.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Riot Games canceled the 2020 Mid-Season Invitational and replaced it with the Mid-Season Streamathon, a series of international competitions and exhibition matches.

The 2021 Mid-Season Invitational was held from May 6–23, 2021, in Reykjavík, Iceland. Twelve teams qualified, and all teams began in the same stage of the tournament, unlike previous years. GAM Esports from Vietnam's Championship Series could not attend due to travel restrictions. All games were held at the Laugardalshöll, with no fans in attendance because of the pandemic. The final on May 23, 2021, was between Royal Never Give Up from China's LPL and DWG KIA (formerly Damwon Gaming) from South Korea's LCK. Royal Never Give Up won the championship 3–2, becoming the second team after T1 to win two Mid-Season Invitationals. Chen "GALA" Wei was named the MVP in the final.

The 2022 Mid-Season Invitational took place from May 10–29, 2022, in Busan, South Korea. Eleven teams qualified, and all teams began in the same stage of the tournament. The CIS's League of Legends Continental League could not send a representative due to the cancellation of their Spring Split, linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Royal Never Give Up from China's LPL competed remotely due to travel restrictions in Shanghai, where most LPL teams are based. All other teams played with standardized ping to ensure fair competition. The final on May 29, 2022, was between Royal Never Give Up and T1 from South Korea's LCK. Royal Never Give Up won the championship 3–2, becoming the first team to win three Mid-Season Invitationals and the second team to successfully defend their title. Yan "Wei" Yangwei was named the MVP in the final.

The 2023 Mid-Season Invitational was held from May 2–21, 2023, in London, United Kingdom. Thirteen teams from nine regions qualified by winning their regional Spring Splits. North America (LCS), EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa), South Korea (LCK), and China (LPL) each had two teams participate. Teams from Turkey (TCL) and Oceania

Results

Italics show that a team or group has been dissolved, bought, or no longer plays in the local league.