On Monday, the Korean e-Sports Association (KeSPA), South Korea’s national esports federation, launched a public bidding process to determine the host city for the 2026 edition of the Mid-Season Invitational. The announcement also included provisional dates for the tournament, which is expected to be held from June 26 to July 12—dates that closely mirror those of the 2025 edition (June 27 to July 12). However, the statement notes that "the competition period may change in the future depending on circumstances surrounding the organization of the international event."

KeSPA also revealed that the prize pool for MSI 2026 will be set at $2 million, and the tournament will feature ten teams—two from each of the four major regions—adhering to a format broadly similar to that of the 2025 edition, which concluded this past Saturday in Vancouver, Canada. The association plans for the play-in stage to be held over three days, with the top two teams advancing to the main event, following the same structure used in 2025. The Bracket Stage is slated to unfold over ten days.

One MSI, Three Worlds

South Korea has hosted the Mid-Season Invitational only once in its history, in 2022. That edition took place in Busan, a city in the country’s southeast. Royal Never Give Up claimed the title by defeating local favorites T1. RNG thereby secured the second back-to-back MSI victory in the tournament’s history, following T1’s achievement in 2016 and 2017. This feat was matched for a third time in 2025 by Gen.G, who will thus defend their two consecutive titles on home soil.

While the MSI has only been held in South Korea once, the country— the strongest region in the League of Legends competitive ecosystem—has hosted three editions of the World Championship: in 2014, 2018, and 2023. Each time, the tournament spanned multiple cities. Busan, which hosted the MSI in 2022, was also one of the venues for all three World Championship events, along with Seoul, the nation’s capital and host of the First Stand in 2025. Gwangju and Incheon were also among the cities that hosted matches during the 2018 edition. South Korea is also set to host its fourth World Championship in 2027.