C9, FLY & LØS invited to SOOP pre-MSI LoL showdown vs LCK teams

While League of Legends fans from across the world prepare for the Mid-Season Invitational, some of the teams left on the outside looking in will get their own international competition. South Korean streaming platform SOOP has announced the Cross Regional SOOP LoL Invitational, a two-day cross-regional event featuring teams from the LCK, LCS, and CBLOL currently bootcamping in Korea ahead of the Summer Split.

The tournament will pit an LCK trio of , , and against a North and South American lineup consisting of , , and Brazil's .

In many ways, the event functions as a miniature MSI for teams that did not qualify for the international tournament itself. While the participating squads may not be among their regions' representatives at MSI, the competition offers a rare opportunity for lower-ranked teams from major regions to test themselves against international opposition in official matches.

Although none of the participating teams qualified for MSI, several enter the event with plenty to prove heading into Summer. Cloud9 and FlyQuest remain two of North America's most prominent organizations despite falling short of international qualification, while Dplus KIA also narrowly missed out on Korea's MSI spots. Combined with LØS' appearance as one of Brazil's representatives, the invitational offers a rare glimpse at how the regions' strongest non-MSI teams compare on an international stage.

Outside of Riot Games' official international events, opportunities for teams from different regions to compete against one another remain limited. When such events do happen, they are typically reserved for championship contenders or teams already competing at the highest level.

The SOOP LoL Invitational instead shines a spotlight on teams occupying the tier just below that threshold. For organizations such as Cloud9, FlyQuest, LOS, DN SOOPers, KIWOOM DRX, and Dplus KIA, the event presents a valuable opportunity to measure progress against unfamiliar opponents and gain stage experience before returning to domestic competition.

The tournament's timing is particularly noteworthy. Several of the participating North American and Brazilian squads had already travelled to South Korea for pre-Summer Split bootcamps, seeking high-quality practice against Korean opposition. The invitational effectively turns part of that bootcamp experience into a broadcast event, allowing fans to follow along while teams gain additional competitive reps.

SOOP stated that the event was created to provide fans with high-level content during the gap between major international competitions while showcasing the form and development of teams preparing for the second half of the season.

The event divides participants into two groups.

Representing Team KR are DN SOOPers, Dplus KIA, and KIWOOM DRX, while Team AMER consists of Cloud9, FlyQuest, and Brazil's LOS.

The format is straightforward: every Korean team will play one best-of-one against every Americas representative, resulting in nine total matches across two days.

While the tournament carries no qualification implications, regional pride and valuable international experience are both on the line. For several players, it will also be one of the few opportunities all year to compete against teams from outside their home region.

The SOOP LoL Invitational will take place across two days, beginning at 11:00 CET (18:00 KST) on June 26 and June 27.

Former LEC caster and current UK national team coach Eragon will provide the official English co-stream, while former professional players Kuro and GimGoon will headline the Korean-language broadcast.

All matches will be streamed live through SOOP, giving fans a rare chance to watch cross-regional competition featuring teams that would otherwise spend the period scrimming behind closed doors.