MSI 2023: Everything you need to know

We are just hours away from the start of the first international event of the 2023 season of the top League of Legends category, the MSI. All the teams are fully prepared for the fight, and, starting next May 2, we will see the best teams of this early season competing against each other to lift the champions trophy.

MSI has had some changes for this edition concerning previous seasons, and we are very close to knowing if these changes will remain or if Riot Games will decide to return to the old format. In addition, we will have very powerful teams fighting for the crown, as they have shown a great level throughout the first four months of the year.

Without further ado, we will show you everything you need to know about MSI 2023.

MSI 2023 – Details

As we already know, the MSI 2023 will kick off on May 2, 2023, and will last until May 21, when the grand final will be played. The tournament will be held at the Copper Box Arena, London, UK; this beautiful venue can host 7,500 fans.

In these three weeks, we will enjoy top-level clashes, as each participating team is the best in their region. However, as they have shown in recent seasons, there is no doubt that this time the favorites to win the MSI are Gen.G and T1, the LCK finalists.

Likewise, we can also expect a great performance from MAD Lions, G2 Esports, and Cloud9.

Format

We come to the first of the changes implemented in this MSI 2023. The tournament format will have two phases, the Play-In Phase, which starts on May 2 and will have the participation of eight teams. In addition, in this phase, the matches will be in Double Elimination format and played in best of three (BO3), except for the grand final, which will be best of five (BO5). Finally, the three best teams of this phase will qualify for the tournament playoffs.

The playoffs or Bracket Stage will have the participation of eight teams, five previously classified and three from the Play-In. As in the tournament’s first phase, all matches are in a Double Elimination format, but this time all matches will be played in the best of five (BO5).

Finally, the two teams that make it as far as possible in the Upper and Lower Bracket will play the grand final on May 21.

Qualifying teams

The twelve teams that managed to seal their ticket to London to play the MSI 2023 starting next May 2 are:

Teams in the Play-In phase

• Bilibili Gaming
• G2 Esports
• Golden Guardians
• PSG Talon
• GAM Esports
• DetonatioN FocusMe
• Movistar Raimbow7
• LOUD

Teams in the Bracket Stage

• G
• T1
• JD Gaming
• MAD Lions
• Cloud9

Play-In Phase Match Schedule

Below, we will show you the schedule of the matches that will be played in the Play-In Phase of the MSI 2023:

May 2

• G2 Esports vs. LOUD – 17:00 CEST
• PSG Talon vs. DetonatioN FocusMe – 14:00 CEST

May 3

• Golden Guardians vs. GAM Esports – 17:00 CEST
• BiliBili Gaming vs. Rainbow7 – 14:00 CEST

Header: Riot Games