On June 28, 2026, at the Daejeon Convention Center, T1 secured a dominant 3-0 victory over TLAW in the MSI 2026 Play-In Stage, moving one step closer to the Bracket Stage by advancing to the winners' bracket.

In the first set, both teams played cautiously early on, but the pace accelerated around the 10-minute mark. T1's bottom duo of 'Mell' and 'Camille' secured consecutive wins in skirmishes, and several fights broke out near the mid lane. T1 consistently gained the upper hand in these exchanges. By trading two hits for every one they took, T1 built a steady lead and eventually sealed the game at 23 minutes by overcoming a disadvantageous position in a teamfight through sheer mechanical skill.

The second set featured a clash of styles: T1 opted for a proactive composition, while TLAW chose a heavy teamfight-oriented lineup. T1's early-game macro was somewhat impatient, leading to a pattern of gaining advantages only to give them back. At 13 minutes, TLAW won a massive 4-1 teamfight, pushing T1 to the brink. However, T1 capitalized on small openings to narrow the gap and dragged the game to 35 minutes, where they pulled off a dramatic comeback in the final teamfight to take the set and lead the series 2-0.

In the third set, T1 drafted a Lee Sin-Annie mid-jungle duo against TLAW's Nocturne-Galio. T1 secured an early advantage with a double kill at level 1. Maintaining a slight lead, T1 focused on objective control, minimizing losses during intense skirmishes while securing every Dragon. At 28 minutes, having built up their win condition, T1 baited TLAW with a Baron attempt. Leveraging the firepower of 'Phase' Kim Su-hwan's Zeri, T1 overwhelmed TLAW to win the third set.

The Player of the Series award went to 'Peyz' Kim Su-hwan, who delivered stellar performances on 'Mell' in Game 1, Kalista in Game 2, and 'Zeri' in Game 3, while 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok became the first player in the world to reach 100 wins at the MSI following his victory in the second game.

With this win, T1 advances to the winners' bracket match on the 29th, taking their first step toward the main Bracket Stage. The matchups for the winners' and losers' brackets will be determined by the outcome of the best-of-five series between DCG (Deep Cross Gaming) and KC (Karmine Corp).