The LCK Road to MSI 2026 kicked off on Friday, June 6 in Seoul. In the opening round of the double-elimination bracket, Dplus KIA (DK) left no room for doubt against Hanjin BRION, delivering a clean 3-0 sweep in a one-sided best-of-five. The result eliminates BRION from the tournament and sends DK into a Round 2 clash against KT Rolster.
DK in full control from the start
Dplus KIA had finished the LCK Split 2 regular season in 5th place with an 11-7 series record, while BRION concluded their campaign in 6th with a 6-12 record. The gap in level was evident across all three games, as DK dictated the pace throughout the series. This victory marks the fourth consecutive win for DK over BRION this season — the two sides had already met three times in the regular season, with DK taking each encounter.
Road to MSI format: a double-elimination gauntlet
Six LCK teams compete in a double-elimination bracket, all in best-of-five format. Hanwha Life Esports and T1, who finished first and second in the regular season respectively, entered from the upper bracket with a double chance. BRION's elimination in Round 1 ends their MSI hopes for 2026. DK, now in the lower bracket, will need to string together more wins to secure one of the two LCK spots heading to MSI 2026 in Daejeon, South Korea (June 28 – July 12).
What comes next
Dplus KIA will face KT Rolster in Round 2 of the lower bracket. On the upper bracket side, Hanwha Life Esports and T1 are set to meet on June 12 in Wonju for a spot in the final and a guaranteed MSI berth. The tournament will reach a decisive stretch during the week of June 12.
Dplus KIA brush past BRION and keep their MSI 2026 hopes alive, though the road through the lower bracket remains long.