MSI 2022 To Be Held In Busan, South Korea
As the League of Legends 2022 calendar year has kicked up a storm, the annual Mid-Season Invitational looms, and the most successful region in history is set to play host for the first time since the global pandemic hindered live events.
Riot Games Announce South Korea Will Host MSI 2022
South Korea, home of the LPL, will host MSI 2022, after hosting the World Championships in both 2018 and 2014. Continuing the Olympic-esque four-year cycle, Busan will be the host city behind the global event, in a bid to showcase to the world that they can put on a spectacle to behold as they apply for Expo 2030.
The annual event hosts the Playoff winners from all of the top 12 regions, although this year's competition will be adapted into an 11-team format due to the exclusion of the cancelled LCL; the regional event was terminated following the invasion of Russia into Ukraine.
"We are excited to host the MSI 2022 in Busan. Busan is the mecca of esports hosting a number of the world's biggest esports tournaments. The city of Busan has teamed up with businesses in the gaming industry to nurture esports professionals and opened BRENA, a dedicated esports arena," said Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon.
The Korean city, known as the City of Festivals and Film, has a history of holding elite esports events, with the StarCraft Brood War ProLeague finals being held there for seven consecutive seasons, alongside the largest annual gaming convention in South Korea, G-Star.
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Fans and players alike will be able to take advantage of Busan's seven beaches and theme park, and if Riot Games run into any technical errors, the world's largest department store registered to the Guinness Book of World Records will likely have everything they need to make for a smooth running.
MSI 2022 11-Team Format Revealed
With the exclusion of the LCL, Riot has adapted the format to contain two four-team groups and one three-team group, where normality can be found for those who tuned in throughout previous years.
The top two sides from each group will advance to a six-team 'Rumble Stage' round-robin group, where, the top four teams from here will advance to the Knockout stage.
With just four teams left, the tournament will enter a best-of-five single-elimination round, with seeding based on the standings throughout the Rumble Stage.
A tidy 250,000 will be up for grabs for the worlds' representatives, as League of Legends looks to return to its scintillating best with hungry live crowds.