With their win, HLE have also secured a slot at Worlds 2026.

After nearly two weeks of competition in Daejeon, South Korea, the League of Legends (LoL) Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) 2026 came down to one final best-of-five between LCK first seed Hanwha Life Esports (HLE) and LPL first seed Bilibili Gaming (BLG).

In the end, HLE were crowned the 2026 MSI champions after defeating BLG 3-2 in the Grand Finals on Sunday (12 July).

HLE opened their Bracket Stage campaign with a 3-0 sweep over Team Secret Whales in the first round of the Upper Bracket before dropping G2 Esports to the lower bracket with another clean sweep to book a place in the Upper Bracket Final. There, they fell 3-1 to BLG and dropped into the Lower Bracket Final, where they completed a reverse sweep over LYONto earn a second shot at the title.

BLG, meanwhile, began their Bracket Stage run with a commanding 3-0 victory over LYON before sweeping T1 in the next round to reach the Upper Bracket Final. They then defeated HLE 3-1 in the Upper Bracket Finals to become the first team to qualify for the Grand Finals, needing just one more series to lift the MSI trophy.

Here's how the matches went.

HLE draw first blood in the MSI 2026 Grand Finals

Neither team held back in the opening game, trading kills, objectives and map control across the Rift. Team fights broke out around every major objective, with both sides claiming three dragons each. 

The deadlock was finally broken in the late game when HLE came out on top of a crucial team fight against their LPL opponents. After a lengthy 43-minute bloodbath, HLE were the first to crack open BLG's base and destroy the Nexus, taking the opening game with a 25-16 kill lead.

BLG strike back to level the series

Game two followed a similar pattern, with HLE finding the early advantage through the burst damage from Ahri and Ziggs. That momentum did not last for long, as BLG baited their opponents away from the Dragon Pit while contesting the Ocean Soul, allowing them to secure the objective uncontested. 

With the Ocean Soul on their side, extended team fights became increasingly difficult for HLE, as BLG gradually wrestled back control of the map through superior objective control and team fighting. 

BLG reach championship point in game three

Momentum shifted completely in the third game as BLG immediately targeted Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok, repeatedly invading his jungle and denying him access to his camps. With HLEs' jungler left playing from behind, BLG tightened their grip on the map and dictated the pace of the game through decisive team fights. After a 32-minute encounter with a 20-7 kill lead, BLG destroyed HLE' Nexus to claim game three and move to championship point.

HLE bounce back in Game 4 to take the game to Silver Scrapes

Once again finding themselves having to catch up, HLE refused to backdown, switching up their pace and overpowering BLG in team fights. HLE's Kanavi bounced back, effectively making space for his team this round. HLE's team composition also made it difficult for BLG to engage with multiple crowd control tools on HLE's side especially with Choi “Zeus” Woo-je's unkillable Swain, and vision through Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong's Ashe. Although BLG held on multiple times, it only delayed the inevitable with HLE finally finishing them off in a team fight with a clean ace, allowing them to march down the Nexus to destroy BLG's base in 31 minutes, with a 28-13 kill lead, taking the game to silver scrapes.

HLE win game five to become MSI 2026 champions

With the championship on the line, neither team backed down in the fifth and final game. Gumayusi's Yunara, backed by Lulu, pulled off phenomenal plays that made it difficult for BLG's bot lane to break through. But BLG were no pushovers, matching HLE around the map by trading objectives and keeping the game even.

However, Zeus' Dr. Mundo proved almost impossible to take down, creating plenty of space for his teammates, especially with Yunara and Lulu behind him, as HLE gradually overpowered BLG in team fights. BLG refused to go down quietly though, finding a crucial fight around the Dragon Pit to deny HLE the Dragon Soul and keep their championship hopes alive.

The turning point came when Kanavi found the perfect angle to punish BLG's Baron attempt, allowing HLE to steal the objective and swing the momentum back in their favour. With the Baron buff in hand, HLE marched down mid lane and, after a 36-minute battle with a 20-20 kill score, destroyed BLG's Nexus to claim the fifth game, the series, and the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational title.

With the win, Hanwha Life Esports became the 2026 Mid-Season Invitational Champions, taking home US$500,000 in prize money and securing their place at Worlds 2026. This is the first MSI title that an LCK team has won on South Korean homeground.

Zeus has notably been named the Oppo Finals MVP for the 2026 MSI, for some of his game-breaking plays during the series.

Meanwhile, Bilibili Gaming bow out of the competition in second place, earning US$300,000 in consolation, ending their early hopes for the Golden Road.