T1 and FURIA now face elimination after dropping into the MSI 2026 Lower Bracket.

The first round of the League of Legends (LoL) Mid-Season Invitational 2026 continued today, where the Upper Bracket delivered both ends of the spectrum once again on Saturday (4 July). LYON dismantled FURIA Esports in a 3-0 sweep while Bilibili Gaming (BLG) survived a full five-game fight against T1.

LYON, FURIA, and BLG came into the tournament with a guaranteed slot for the Bracket Stage, while T1 had to work their way through a perfect Play-ins to qualify. 

Here's how the matches went. 

LYON sweep FURIA 3-0 to advance in the MSI 2026 Upper Bracket

LYON's 3-0 scoreline only tells part of the story of a series that took a while to break open.

FURIA made them work for the opening game, but LYON eventually found their way through to take the lead in the series.

The second game followed a similar path. FURIA again kept the game competitive, but could not turn the fight into a win as LYON moved one game away from the sweep.

The final game was a very different story. LYON left little room for FURIA to fight back, taking control of Game 3 to complete the 3-0 sweep and move on through the Upper Bracket.

BLG survive T1 comeback to win five-game MSI 2026 series

T1 reached the Bracket Stage after fighting their way through the MSI 2026 Play-ins, eventually securing their place with a 3-0 sweep of Team Liquid Alienware in Round 4.

That result set up a first-round meeting with Bilibili Gaming, but there would be no quick sweep this time.

T1 opened the series with a win to take the early advantage, only for BLG to seize control of the match with victories in Games 2 and 3.

One more win would have been enough to finish the series, but T1 kept themselves alive.

Facing a drop to the Lower Bracket, the back-to-back-to-back reigning World Champions took Game 4 and levelled the score at 2-2, sending the series into Silver Scrapes and leaving the entire match riding on one last game.

BLG made sure there would be no complete turnaround. The LPL side won the deciding Game 5 to take the series 3-2, holding off T1's comeback and keeping their place in the Upper Bracket.

LYON and Bilibili Gaming will now meet in the second round of the MSI 2026 Upper Bracket, with both teams still carrying the safety net of a second life in the tournament.

FURIA and T1 are not out yet, but face the danger of elimination in the next round. Both teams now drop into the Lower Bracket, where another defeat will end their MSI 2026 runs.