We're off to the Playoffs! The Play-In Stage has finally come to a close, meaning we're now in the home stretch as the tournament ramps up to the May 21 Grand Final.
MSI 2023: Upper Bracket Quarterfinals schedule, betting odds and predictions
Just three teams have survived the Play-In Stage, with just BiliBili Gaming, G2 Esports and Golden Guardians reaching this stage of the tournament.
And they'll be joined by the five Bracket Stage teams, who will be joining the tournament for a series of Playoff matches taking place from today (May 9) until the May 21 Grand Final.
The remaining teams at this year's Mid-Season Invitational are competing for their share of the $250,000 prize pool - and we have a month-long schedule of League of Legends action ahead of us to see who will be getting their hands on the 2023 MSI trophy.
The Playoffs are set to begin with the Upper Bracket Quarterfinals on May 9 at 13:00 GMT, when we'll be treated to a match between Gen.G and G2 Esports.
Gen.G (1.17) vs G2 Esports (4.40)
Gen.G will be making their MSI 2023 debut later today, having qualified for the tournament through a 1st-place result at LCK Spring 2023. Expectations will be sky-high for their performance here, with the team having ranked in an incredible 3rd - 4th place at Worlds 2022, after being knocked out of the tournament by DRX. This is the team's first MSI, having just fallen short of qualifying in both 2021 and 2022 - and they're sure to make quite an impression when they take the stage later today.
G2 Esports, meanwhile, have earned their spot in the Playoffs through a perfect run through the Play-In Stage. G2 has yet to concede even a single game, having claimed 2-0 victories over both LOUD and PSG Talon. G2 have quite a reputation to live up to too, having ranked in a respectable 3rd - 4th place at last year's MSI. They're facing steep odds as they arrive in the Bracket Stage - but do they have an upset win on the cards?
The odds are heavily in Gen.G's favour here, at 1.17 vs G2's 4.40.
Our next Upper Bracket Quarterfinals match will take place at 13:00 GMT on May 10, when MAD Lions will go up against T1.
MAD Lions is our next Bracket Stage team, having qualified for this year's MSI through their 1st-place result at LEC Spring 2023. It has been a promising year for the Spanish organisation, with the team having also ranked in 2nd place at LEC Winter 2023. This is their first MSI since 2021, with MAD Lions failing to qualify last year through their disappointing 7th-place ranking at LEC Spring 2022. The team ranked in 3rd - 4th place at the 2021 MSI, but has their work cut out for them to repeat that performance.
T1 will similarly be making their MSI 2023 debut, having qualified for the Playoffs through their 2nd-place result at LCK Spring 2023 - where they ultimately lost to Gen.G in the Grand Final. T1's incredible results speak for themselves, with the team not only boasting a 2nd-place finish at last year's MSI, but also claiming an incredible 2nd-place at Worlds 2022. Expectations will be running high for T1 at this month's tournament - and few expect MAD Lions to prove much of a challenge for the superstar team.
The odds are heavily in T1's favour here, at 1.02 vs MAD Lions' 10.00.
Our third Upper Bracket Quarterfinals match will take place at 13:00 GMT on May 11, when Cloud9 will go up against Bilibilli Gaming.
Cloud9 (3.20) vs Bilibili Gaming (1.30)
Cloud9 is another team joining the tournament in the Playoffs, having qualified through their victory at LCS Spring - where they claimed a decisive 3-1 win over Golden Guardians in the Grand Final. This is their first MSI since 2021, having failed to qualify for last year's tournament through a 4th-place finish at LCS Spring 2022. The team did qualify for Worlds, however, but failed to get past the Group Stage - finishing in 15th - 16th place. Their last run at a Mid-Season Invitational finished in 5th place - but can they improve on that record?
Bilibili Gaming have earned their spot in the Playoffs through a strong run through the Play-In Stage - having claimed a 2-0 victory over Rainbow7, before defeating Golden Guardians with a score of 2-1. It's a strong start for the Chinese team, as reflected by their promising 2023 run so far - with the team having claimed a 2nd-place finish at the Weibo Cup 2022, before also finishing LPL Spring 2023 in 2nd place.
Bilibili Gaming are the favourites to win here, with odds of 1.30 vs Cloud9's 3.20.
And our final Upper Bracket Quarterfinals match is due to take place at 13:00 GMT on May 12, when JD Gaming will face off against Golden Guardians.
JD Gaming (1.02) vs Golden Guardians (10.00)
JD Gaming is our last Bracket Stage team, having qualified for this year's MSI through their 1st-place finish at LPL Spring 2023, where they defeated Bilibili Gaming in the Grand Final. This is JD Gaming's first Mid-Season Invitational, although they did attend the Mid-Season Cup in 2020. Still, they're arguably one of the strongest teams still in the running at this month's tournament - having ranked in an impressive 3rd - 4th place at Worlds 2022.
Golden Guardians, meanwhile, is our last surviving team from the Play-In Stage. The team had a commanding run through the early stages of the tournament - with the sole setback coming in their May 4 Upper Bracket Round 2 match against Bilibili Gaming, where they suffered a 2-1 loss. Still, their results so far have otherwise been promising, with Golden Guardians having successfully faced off against the likes of GAM Esports, Rainbow7 and PSG Talon to make it this far. But the competition is only getting steeper now we're into the Playoffs - does Golden Guardians have what it takes?
The odds are overwhelmingly in JD Gaming's favour here, at 1.02 vs Golden Guardians' 10.00.
We're in the final stretch of this year's MSI, and you'll not want to miss a moment. To watch League of Legends live, just check out our MSI 2023 match schedule. And before you bet on League of Legends, remember to sign up to claim your free 100% bonus!
