Hanwha Life Esports crowned MSI 2026 champion after 3-2 against Bilibili Gaming

are the new kings of MSI. They won the organization’s first MSI title on Sunday in Daejeon, defeating 3-2 in the 2026 final. In doing so, they turned the sixth LCK versus LPL final in MSI history into the second one won by the LCK. The victory also secures them a place at Worlds 2026, as long as they reach at least the LCK playoffs.

It is also a major individual triumph for a roster that has been among the best in the world at every position. Lee "" Min-hyung wins his first international title away from and begins writing his own legacy without Lee “” Sang-hyeok. Before the final, Gumayusi said on stage, “I have never lost confidence against BLG, I will definitely win.” And he did.

Choi "" Woo-je and Kim "" Geon-woo become the first two players to have won all three international League of Legends tournaments. Seo "" Jin-hyeok claims his second MSI title in as many appearances, after lifting the trophy with JD Gaming in 2023 and now with HLE in 2026. He becomes the second player to win MSI with two different organizations after Park "" Jae-hyuk. Zeus, Gumayusi, Yoo "" Hwan-joong and Zeka also all win their first MSI title, with Zeka doing so on his very first appearance in the tournament. Zeus earned the MVP title of the final, especially after being so decisive in the last two games.

For BLG, it is the continuation of a painful run of finals defeats. They have now lost all three of their MSI finals appearances, falling to JD Gaming in 2023, Gen.G in 2024 and HLE in 2026.

For BLG, the Golden Road is gone, as the dream of winning every split and tournament in a single competitive year was denied by a revenge-driven HLE side. This LCK win over the LPL also resets the balance in 2026, especially after Gen.G’s humiliation at the hands of G2 Esports at First Stand 2026.

Beyond the regional rivalry, this was also HLE’s first win over BLG in the past three matches. They took revenge for their quarterfinal elimination at Worlds 2024, as well as the 3-1 defeat they suffered in the upper bracket just a few days earlier.

The result also reshapes several individual storylines. Park "" Do-hyeon, who was playing his first MSI ever, had the chance to become the first player to win all three modern international titles in League of Legends, but that dream is pushed back for now. It is also a setback for Zhuo "" Ding, who loses his third international final, after MSI and Worlds 2024, despite delivering an outstanding tournament. Peng "" Li-Xun and Luo "" Wen-Jun are also denied their first-ever international title.

BLG showed real resilience in game one. HLE looked ready to close it out as early as the 25-minute mark, but BLG kept the game alive by constantly finding ways to make teamfights harder to execute and by securing the right kill or the right objective at the right time. Even so, after a well-set-up Nashor play at 41 minutes, HLE finally managed to break the game open in their favor. Gumayusi’s Caitlyn eventually became impossible to contain.

Game two started at a pace that suited HLE perfectly. They came out aggressively and put BLG in a difficult position from early to mid game, but they were never able to create the kind of gap needed to truly break the game open. Even with both Kanavi and Chen "Bin" Ze-Bin under pressure, BLG stayed composed, secured every objective on the map, and made the game unwinnable once the Ocean Soul was theirs.

Game three was decided very early by BLG’s top side. Bin’s Jax picked up two kills within the first four minutes, and from there the game quickly slipped out of HLE’s control. Xun’s Nocturne gave BLG too much of an advantage too early, and the Korean champions never found a way to recover.

HLE pulled out a strong Swain in Zeus’ hands to clinch the win in this game. They grabbed the early advantage quickly, then weathered a few nervous moments before finally creating the decisive break around the 23-minute mark with a controlled teamfight around Baron Nashor. Despite being heavily troubled by Viper’s Mel botlane, HLE still managed to secure every objective on the map this time around.

The final game of the series showed just how much was at stake. With fewer kills overall in the early and mid game, both toplaners became untouchable late-game giants, setting up a few teamfights where their four teammates had to play around those two massive threats. The decisive break came around Baron Nashor.