Four teams open the lower bracket this weekend. Three are eliminated by June 1 — and the two regular-season leaders are among those fighting to stay alive. Three are eliminated by June 1 — and the two regular-season leaders are among those fighting to stay alive.

Both now sit in the lower bracket. Team Vitality went 8-1 and Karmine Corp went 7-2 across seven weeks — then each lost their opening playoff series and dropped to the elimination side of the draw. This weekend, they start the climb back, and most of the field does not survive it.

Where the bracket stands

G2 Esports is already through. They beat Karmine Corp 3-1, then edged Movistar KOI 3-2 in the upper bracket final — booking the grand final on June 7 and the first of two spots that carry qualification to MSI 2026. Movistar KOI, the No. 4 seed, swept Vitality 3-0 before losing to G2. They drop only as far as the lower bracket final on June 6.

G2 msi qualif
Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

The lower bracket is single-loss from here. Karmine Corp face Natus Vincere today. Team Vitality face GIANTX tomorrow. The two winners meet in the lower bracket semifinal on Monday, June 1. Each series sends one team home — so by Monday night, three of these four are eliminated.

The survivor advances to face Movistar KOI on June 6. That match is for the second grand-final berth — and with it, the second MSI spot. In other words: win this weekend, win Monday, and next week is for a place at MSI.

Karmine Corp vs Natus Vincere

The numbers favour Karmine Corp, and not narrowly. The two met in the regular season in week 5, and KC took the series 2-0 — two close maps decided by cleaner macro and teamfight discipline. KC also beat NAVI earlier in the season at LEC Versus. Across 2026, the head-to-head is one-sided: NAVI have not taken a series off them.

KC Navi
Photo Credi: Elliot Le Core/Riot Games

The case against is recent: KC lost 3-1 to G2 in the upper bracket, and a second seed built for the title now has to win four best-of-fives in a row to reach the final.

But the expectation is straightforward. On seed, on the season series, and on Bo5 experience, KC should come through — and should be the team that plays Movistar KOI next week for the MSI ticket.

Team Vitality vs GIANTX

Vitality were the story of the regular season. One defeat in nine series, the No. 1 seed, the clearest structural identity in the league. They also handled GIANTX when it mattered: a 2-0 series win in the regular season and another win over them back at LEC Versus. On seed and on the season head-to-head, Vitality are the clear favourite.

What complicates it is the last thing Vitality did. Movistar KOI took them apart 3-0 in the upper bracket — not a close exit, a sweep. The question is whether that was a bad read on a single matchup or a plan GIANTX can borrow.

VIT GX
Photo Credit: Wojciech Wandzel/Riot Games

Vitality, for their part, remain confident. Speaking to RFT after the sweep, jungler Lyncas was blunt about the lower bracket:

"No disrespect but NAVI and GIANTX shouldn't be up to par with us."

Monday — the match that decides the bracket

Monday, June 1 narrows the lower bracket to one. The winners of today and tomorrow meet in a best-of-five, and the loser is eliminated — the third team gone in three days. The survivor advances to face Movistar KOI on June 6, a single series from the second MSI spot.

On current form, the likeliest pairing is also the heaviest: Karmine Corp against Team Vitality. The two best teams of the regular season — 7-2 and 8-1 — both fell to the lower bracket in the opening weekend, and both would reach Monday one loss from elimination. A meeting there knocks out one of them — and the loser will not play another LEC match until the Summer split opens on July 24.