Overview
- Hanwha Life Esports claimed the MSI 2026 championship by beating Bilibili Gaming in a five‑game grand final that concluded on Sunday, July 12, in Daejeon.
- HLE reached the final after dropping to the lower bracket when they lost the upper‑bracket series to BLG 3–1 earlier in the tournament and then winning successive elimination matches.
- The final was played before a sold‑out crowd at the Daejeon Convention Center, lasted roughly six and a half hours, and closed a tournament with a $2 million prize pool.
- Coinbase served as the tournament's headline sponsor and its verified crypto prediction markets tied to match outcomes drew millions in reported trading volume, even as outlets noted legal and regulatory questions about such markets.
- Hanwha Life Insurance signed a January 2026 memorandum of understanding with Liberty City Ventures to explore blockchain and digital finance, a move that analysts say could lead the team's corporate owner to test blockchain-based fan products and new sponsorship models.