The 2026 League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational is just a week away from starting. According to recent data from international media, the peak overseas viewership for MSI has been increasing annually since 2017, with new records set every year. In 2018, the number was only 990,000, but it jumped to 3.45 million last year. This year, there’s a strong chance it will break last year’s record and cross the 4 million threshold.

The main reason for the rising viewership in recent years is T1’s consecutive appearances at MSI. Faker’s influence overseas is undeniable. If he makes it to the finals, hitting 4 million this year is almost a sure thing. If the finals opponent is also a highly popular team like BLG or G2, even 4 million might be an underestimate. After all, the 2024 World Championship final between T1 and BLG drew a staggering 6.94 million viewers.

Perkz Loses to Wild Card Team and Falls to the Lower Bracket

The ENC (European Nations Cup), which won’t be held until the end of this year, recently kicked off its qualifiers. Former MSI champion and Worlds runner-up mid laner Perkz, leading the Croatian team, suffered a shocking upset in the very first match, losing to Hungary. Early on, Perkz’s Ahri roamed aggressively and secured some advantages, but as the game progressed, the opposing team leveraged their composition to win several team fights. Croatia held on for 38 minutes before ultimately falling short.

At the same time, Bwipo’s Belgian team also suffered a crushing defeat against Germany. Both veterans, now playing in different regions, found themselves in the lower bracket. According to the qualifier rules, teams that drop to the lower bracket in the first round must win three consecutive matches to secure a spot in the ENC main event. Given their performances in the first game, it seems unlikely they’ll make it. Is Perkz really this washed up now? He can’t even dominate against wild card teams.

Knight’s Documentary Roasts TES

BLG, the top seed for MSI from the LPL after winning the second split, recently released a championship documentary. After winning the first game, Knight commented on TES in the locker room with his teammates. He bluntly said, “When they fall behind, they’re done. They’ll just keep fighting.” Daeny also added, “They’re completely different from JDG and WE.” This likely refers to TES’s tendency to blindly force team fights when at a disadvantage.

Honestly, TES’s performance in the finals didn’t look like that of a strong team. Tian’s pathing is too rigid. Whenever the top laner picks a fighter, he forces ganks regardless of whether the lane is winning or losing. This often results in the top lane not getting ahead and Tian ruining his own game. If they keep playing this way at MSI, TES might get completely outclassed by G2. Hopefully, during the two-week break, TES can review their gameplay and fix these issues.

T1 Signs Faker’s Notorious Hater

T1 recently announced that LS has joined their Rift Rivals division as a professional player. This news sparked immediate controversy because LS has repeatedly questioned Faker’s skills in public. During his early streaming days, LS belittled Faker by saying, “Faker is a player hyped up by marketing, his strength is hugely overrated.” In 2019, when Faker won both the spring and summer splits, LS claimed he was only the 4th or 5th best mid laner in the LCK.

In 2020, T1 tried to sign LS as the head coach for their League of Legends team, but after Effort’s leaked conversation, fans protested with trucks and forced the team to abandon the plan. Additionally, LS has often made discriminatory remarks when evaluating Asian players. Long-time T1 fans call him “Faker’s number one hater.” How can T1 accept and sign someone like this? It’s like IG suddenly inviting Xuan Shen to join—what’s the difference?

Conclusion:

Veterans like Perkz are truly past their prime now. They can’t even dominate in wild card competitions, so retiring seems like the right choice. As for Bwipo’s Belgian team, they’re an absolute mess. Their mid and jungle are both fairly well-known players from the Western leagues, yet they got destroyed in 22 minutes by a bunch of no-name players. That’s embarrassingly bad.

What do you think about T1 signing Faker’s biggest hater?

Feel free to leave your comments and discuss!