Bilibili Gaming survive Team WE scare to reach MSI and LPL Grand Finals

It’s a fourth consecutive LPL Finals appearance for , who secured their spot on Saturday after defeating 3–2 in a nail-biter, also reaching their fourth consecutive Mid-Season Invitational in the process. Through this win, BLG are guaranteed an appearance in the bracket stage of MSI 2026 in Daejeon—even if they were to lose against in the LPL Finals—thanks to their victory at First Stand 2026.

Interestingly, since their defeat to Anyone’s Legend in the 2026 Split 2 Playoffs on June 14th, BLG have not lost a single LPL final. Now coming from the lower bracket, the squad prepares to take on TES while riding strong momentum. The two teams have remained closely matched, with a 2–2 head-to-head record in best-of-three series so far in 2026.

The MSI 2026 Bracket Stage begins on July 3rd, where BLG will attempt to defend their latest international title at FST 2026 and, hopefully, win their first-ever MSI trophy.

Though Bilibili Gaming’s path to the finals may have seemed an inevitability on paper, their road there was anything but simple. Despite ending the regular season topping the Group Ascend at 12–2, the reigning champions were first vanquished in their opening playoff match by Team WE, who swiftly took them down 3–1. While subjective, the result stands as one of the biggest upsets of recent times in the LPL. For context, Team WE—another member of Group Ascend—had finished the regular season at 1–13, a catastrophic run that saw them narrowly avoid relegation to LNG by a single game.

What should have been a straightforward series instead sent BLG to the lower bracket, where they had to eliminate EDG, JDG, and AL before earning their rematch against WE to reach the finals. That series also proved challenging. BLG opened strong in Game 1, but WE struck back with two consecutive wins, pushing the champions to the brink in a deciding Game 4. However, BLG were able to rebound through more aggressive drafts that better fit their identity, eventually overturning the series and defeating the team that had humbled them earlier in the playoffs.

This playoffs alone, BLG have already played 19 games, more than any other MSI attendee this year, and still have one best-of-five left against Top Esports for a chance at another LPL title.

Nonetheless, a victory tomorrow will not change BLG’s MSI qualification status, as their earlier victory in Brazil this year guaranteed the LPL the top seed heading into MSI, meaning both of its representatives will skip the Play-In stage.

For BLG, their return to South Korea will come under significant scrutiny, as no Chinese team has won the tournament since 2023 in London. BLG themselves finished runners-up twice that year and again in 2024. They were also previously known for a pattern of reaching international finals but falling short, though that “curse” was finally broken in Brazil this year, signaling a potential turning point in the team’s history.

Nevertheless, BLG will first have to overcome Top Esports, who will be eager to claim their first title since the LPL 2025 Split 1 Playoffs, where they secured qualification for the inaugural First Stand event.