The MSI 2026 Bracket Stage begins this Friday, July 3, at the Daejeon Convention Center in South Korea. Eight teams now enter single-elimination play to determine the champion of the international tournament, with the Grand Final set for July 12.
A performance-based pool draw
The draw split the eight qualified teams into four pools based on their First Stand results. Pool 1 holds the Spring champions of the two First Stand finalist regions, Bilibili Gaming (LPL) and G2 Esports (LEC). Pool 2 pairs LYON and Hanwha Life Esports, while Pool 3 groups FURIA and Team Secret Whales. Pool 4 rounds things out with Top Esports and T1, the tournament's sole Play-In qualifier.
T1 opens against Bilibili Gaming
The Bracket Stage's opening match pits T1 against Bilibili Gaming (BLG), a rematch of the MSI 2025 final, which the Koreans won 3-0. Three other first-round series round out the draw: G2 Esports faces Top Esports in a rematch of their Worlds 2025 quarterfinal, CBLOL champion FURIA meets LYON, the LCS' first seed, and Road to MSI winner Hanwha Life Esports — making its tournament debut — takes on Team Secret Whales, this season's dominant LCP side.
Eight teams, four continents, one title: the MSI 2026 Bracket Stage promises a relentless knockout run through to the July 12 Grand Final.