2026 Mid-Season Invitational Recap: Hanwha Life Takes Gold, Bilibili Gaming Claims Another Silver, LYON Stuns with Bronze
1xBet esports experts share their insights on the first major July League of Legends tournament.
Early T1 Exit: Is Faker Losing Momentum?
The Play-In Stage, with stricter conditions, served as a unique opening act for the main part of the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational. Last year, four squads fought for two spots in the Bracket Stage. This time, only one place was available. Team Liquid, Karmine Corp, and Deep Cross Gaming were unlucky to find legendary T1 in their group. Faker’s roster completely outclassed their opponents, winning all three matches with a clean 3-0 score and deservedly advancing.
However, in their very first match of the main stage, T1 faced one of China’s and the world’s strongest squads, Bilibili Gaming. If the Koreans had managed to beat their opponents, the event could have taken a completely different turn for them. Instead, T1 fell to Bilibili in a close 2-3 series, bounced back against Brazilian team FURIA (3-0), and left the competition after losing to European side G2 (1-3). As a result, T1 continued their disappointing MSI run, with Faker last lifting the summer trophy back in 2017.
After the first round, both main favorites, Hanwha Life and Bilibili Gaming, remained in the upper bracket, alongside American team LYON and European squad G2. Head-to-head matches between teams from different regions once again highlighted the dominance of the Asian esports scene, as Hanwha and Bilibili easily defeated their opponents with clean 3-0 wins, advancing to the upper bracket final. In that clash, the Korean team managed to take only one game, while Chinese midlaner Knight deservedly became the best player for Bilibili after securing 25 kills.
Sensational LYON: Is America Overtaking Europe?
After losing to Hanwha Life, LYON dropped to the lower bracket, where one of the biggest surprises awaited them. Throughout 2025, the team struggled at the bottom of the LTA North standings, but the arrival of experienced top laner Dhokla helped them transform their performance. This season, LYON successfully won both regional LCS splits and is now rightfully considered the best squad in North America.
Ignoring their loss to Bilibili Gaming, LYON reached the lower bracket final after three confident 3-0 victories over FURIA, Secret Whales, and G2. Even against one of the favorites, LYON showed its strength. After dropping the opening game in a close battle, the Americans won the next two and took a 2-1 lead. However, at the crucial moment, Hanwha’s experience made the difference, as the Korean players secured a comeback victory with a 3-2 score.
Grand Final: Korea Once Again Proves Stronger Than China
In the upper bracket final, Bilibili Gaming defeated Hanwha Life without much trouble, giving them a clear psychological advantage heading into the Grand Final. On top of that, the Chinese team had three days of rest before the decisive battle, while the Koreans played a grueling five-game series against LYON just one day before the Grand Final. Everything seemed to favor Bilibili, but that is what makes esports so exciting: the winner is not always decided by statistics.
The first game lasted more than 40 minutes, as neither team wanted to make mistakes or give up the early advantage. Luck was on Hanwha’s side, but Bilibili immediately responded with two consecutive game wins, taking control of the series. Hanwha then managed to level the score once again.
Everything came down to the decisive fifth game, where Chinese midlaner Knight delivered the performance of his life with 7 kills and more than 50k damage. However, it was still not enough for victory: former T1 players Gumayusi and Zeus fought their way to a 3-2 win, with Zeus being named the Grand Final MVP.
Hanwha Life won their first-ever Mid-Season Invitational trophy. After the 2025 First Stand Tournament victory, the team only needs to win the season’s biggest event, the World Championship, to complete the full trophy collection. Meanwhile, Bilibili Gaming continued their frustrating “silver” tradition, with three lost MSI finals (2023, 2024, and 2026) and one Worlds final (2024) on their record. Can the team finally bounce back at the 2026 Esports World Cup?
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