All League of Legends MSI Winners by Year (2015-2026)

Introduced in 2015, the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) is the midway point on the annual League of Legends competitive calendar. MSI is considered one of the 3 pillars of the League of Legends international circuit along with First Stand and Worlds, and the second most prestigious trophy a League of Legends team can win each year. Here's a look at all MSI winners throughout the years.

*Last updated: 1/7/2026

Every League of Legends MSI Winner (2015-2026)

Current MSI Champion

The current League of Legends MSI champion is Hanwha Life Esports, who won the 2026 MSI title. They become just the third-ever Korean team to win MSI, doing so in their first-ever attendance. Their victory extends the LCK's possession of the MSI title to 3 years. Since the first MSI in 2015, 7 different teams have lifted the trophy across 11 iterations. Below is the complete, updated list of every winner.

LoL MSI Winners List

♦ 2026 MSI - Hanwha Life Esports

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]HLE secure their first-ever MSI title. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games[/caption]

Hanwha Life Esports defended the LCK's possession of the MSI title in Daejeon, South Korea. The LCK 1st seed took down Bilibili Gaming in a 5-game thriller to win MSI in their first ever attendance as an organization. Top Laner Zeus was awarded the Finals MVP for his performance.

♦ 2025 MSI - Gen.G Esports

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]Gen.G become the third team in LoL history to win back-to-back MSI titles. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

Gen.G went back-to-back in Vancouver — the tournament's first-ever Canadian host city — defeating fellow LCK side T1 in a decider that helped this MSI set the record for the most game fives in any international League of Legends competition. Mid Laner Chovy won Finals MVP, and Gen.G became just the third team to ever defend an MSI title.

♦ 2024 MSI - Gen.G Esports

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]Chovy finally finds his first international trophy. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

Gen.G defeated Bilibili Gaming in Chengdu for their first-ever international trophy, snapping a five-year LPL (and LEC) winning streak at MSI. Game 2 saw ADC Peyz set an all-time record with 28 kills in a single game at a top-level international event.

♦ 2023 MSI - JD Gaming

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]JDG find their MSI trophy in London. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

In London, JDG closed out the first-ever all-LPL international grand final, surging ahead of fellow Chinese side Bilibili Gaming after the series was tied 1–1. Mid Laner knight went undefeated on Jayce across the series and took home Finals MVP.

♦ 2022 MSI - Royal Never Give Up

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]RNG complete their own twopeat at MSI 2022. Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games[/caption]

In a tournament marked by an unusual asterisk, RNG was barred from traveling to Busan due to COVID restrictions and played the entire event remotely from Shanghai on a synchronized server. RNG still beat home-crowd favorites T1 in a 5-game series to become the first team to win three MSI titles.

♦ 2021 MSI - Royal Never Give Up

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]RNG match SKT with 2 MSI trophy lifts. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

Fresh off the back of a roster shuffle, RNG outlasted reigning world champions DWG KIA in a back-and-forth 5-gamer to reclaim the international crown for the LPL right after DWG took it back at Worlds 2020.

♦ 2019 MSI - G2 Esports

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]G2 make history with the most dominant lineup Europe has ever produced! Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

More remembered for knocking out T1 in the semifinals, G2 Esports swept Team Liquid in the Grand Finals 3-0 to bring Europe its first MSI championship — still the region's only MSI trophy to date. 

♦ 2018 MSI - Royal Never Give Up

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]Uzi finds his international title at the 2018 MSI. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

RNG end the Korean MSI reign by beating Kingzone DragonX in the Grand Finals 3-1. Their victory in the finals marked the first time since MSI 2015 that a non-Korean team had beaten a Korean team in a Bo5 series. 

♦ 2017 MSI - SK Telecom T1

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]Back-to-back MSI trophy lifts for SKT T1. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

Faker and co. defended their MSI crown in Rio de Janeiro, defeating G2 Esports to become the first team ever to win back-to-back MSI titles. This MSI win also gave Faker his 5th career international trophy (Worlds 2013/2015/2016 and MSI 2016/2017).

♦ 2016 MSI - SK Telecom T1

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]SK T1 cement their era with an MSI win. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

SKT returned to MSI on LPL turf in Shanghai and swept Counter-Logic Gaming in the Grand Finals 3-0. Later that year, they lifted the 2016 World Championship Summoner's Cup, becoming the first — and only — team to win both MSI and Worlds in the same year.

♦ 2015 MSI - EDward Gaming

[caption align="aligncenter" width="800"]EDward Gaming make history as the first-ever MSI champion. Credit: Riot Games[/caption]

EDG stunned the reigning world champions SK Telecom T1 in a 5-game classic to become the first-ever MSI champions, fielding Korean imports PawN and Deft alongside a young Meiko in Tallahassee, Florida. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the current MSI champion?

HLE is the current MSI Champion, having won MSI 2026 over BLG.

Which team has the most MSI titles?

Royal Never Give Up has won the most MSI titles, with 3 championship titles (2018, 2021, 2022). They have also never lost a Finals appearance.

Which region has won the most MSI Championships?

The LPL (China) and the LCK (South Korea) are currently tied with 5 MSI titles apiece. For the LPL side, they have: EDward Gaming (2015), Royal Never Give Up (2018, 2021, 2022), and JD Gaming (2023). Meanwhile, the LCK have: SK Telecom T1 (2016, 2017), Gen.G (2024, 2025), and Hanwha Life Esports (2026).

Has a team ever won MSI back-to-back?

Yes — 3 teams have successfully defended their MSI titles in League of Legends history. They are: SK Telecom (2016-2017), Royal Never Give Up (2021-2022), and Gen.G (2024-2025).

Was MSI ever cancelled?

Yes. MSI 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only year in the tournament's history without an official champion. It was replaced by the exhibition Mid-Season Cup, won by Top Esports, which doesn't count as an official MSI title.

Has a European team ever won MSI?

Yes, once. G2 Esports won MSI 2019, sweeping Team Liquid 3-0 to claim the LEC's only MSI trophy to date.

What's the only team to win both MSI and Worlds in the same year?

SK Telecom T1 is the only team to have pulled off an MSI and Worlds trophy lift in the same year, accomplishing this feat in 2016.

Has an MSI Grand Final ever had 2 teams from the same region?

Twice. The first time occurred in 2023, when JD Gaming and Bilibili Gaming faced one another. The second time was in 2025, when T1 and Gen.G clashed in the Grand Finals.

What's the most one-sided MSI Grand Final?

There are 2 games tied for this record. The first was in 2016, when SK Telecom T1 swept Counter-Logic Gaming 3-0 to claim South Korea's first MSI title. The second time was in 2019 when G2 Esports swept Team Liquid in the Grand Finals 3-0 to claim Europe's first — and so far only — MSI trophy.

Who holds the record for most kills in a single MSI game?

Gen.G's AD Carry Kim "Peyz" Su-hwan set the all-time record with 28 kills in a single international game during Game 2 of the MSI 2024 Grand Final against Bilibili Gaming.

Which MSI had the most Game 5s in a single tournament?

MSI 2025 in Vancouver holds the record, with 9 of its 19 best-of-five series going the distance to a fifth game.

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Featured Image Credit: Colin Young-Wolff/Riot Games