T1 will be facing Bilibili Gaming at the Upper Bracket Round 1.

Reigning League of Legends World Champions T1 are through to the Bracket Stage of the Mid-Season Invitational 2026 after defeating Team Liquid 3-0, in the Play-In Stage Round 4 on Wednesday (1 July) in Daejeon, South Korea. 

The LCK representatives completed an unbeaten run through Play-Ins and secured one of the final spots in the main event after dispatching Team Liquid for the second time in the tournament.

How did T1 and Team Liquid reach MSI 2026 Play-In Round 4?

T1 entered the Play-In Stage as one of the tournament favourites and barely put a foot wrong throughout the event. They opened their campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Team Liquid before following it up with another 3-0 sweep against Karmine Corp, booking a place in the qualifying series without dropping a game.

Team Liquid's route was far more demanding. After falling to T1 in the opening round, the LCS representatives dropped into the lower bracket, where they eliminated Deep Cross Gaming 3-0 before knocking out Karmine Corp by the same scoreline. Those victories earned Team Liquid one final chance at qualification in a rematch against T1.

T1 complete another sweep despite Team Liquid's resistance

The final score once again read 3-0 in T1's favour, but Team Liquid put up a much stronger fight than they did in the opening round.

Game 1 was largely controlled by T1 from start to finish. While Team Liquid found several opportunities to slow the game down and contest fights, T1 consistently came out on top around the map's key objectives, maintaining control before comfortably closing out the opener.

Game 2 was by far the closest game of the series. Team Liquid held the advantage for much of the match as T1 committed several uncharacteristic mistakes that left the LCK side chasing the game.

 Despite spending a long stretch on the back foot, T1 gradually stabilised, found favourable teamfights and took advantage of Team Liquid's mistakes to pull off a comeback and move within one game of qualification.

With the momentum firmly back on their side, T1 produced another composed performance in Game 3. Team Liquid remained competitive throughout and continued to challenge objectives, but T1 kept the game under control, steadily building their advantage before closing out the series 3-0.

With their victory, T1 qualify for the MSI 2026 Bracket Stage, where they will face Bilibili Gaming in the Upper Bracket. 

Team Liquid, meanwhile, bow out of the tournament in 9th place, taking home US$90,000, after battling through the lower bracket to reach the final qualification series.