Riot Games is shaking up the competitive formula for its flagship mid-year League of Legends tournament. The team that earns its way to the MSI 2026 Grand Final through the upper bracket will get to pick both their map side and their draft position before the series begins.

It’s called the Right of Dual Selection, and it represents one of the more meaningful structural changes to MSI in recent memory.

What the Right of Dual Selection actually means

In competitive League of Legends, two choices shape every game before a single champion is locked in. First, there’s side selection: blue side or red side, each with its own strategic quirks. Blue side gets first pick in the draft. Red side gets the last pick and a different camera perspective on the map.

Traditionally, these two decisions have been bundled together. Pick blue side, you automatically get first pick. Pick red, you get counter-pick advantage.

MSI 2026 unbundles them with a new mechanic called First Selection. Teams can now choose their map side independently from their draft priority. In English: you could play on blue side but still draft second, or vice versa.

The Right of Dual Selection takes this a step further for the upper-bracket finalist specifically. That team locks in both choices, map side and draft order, before the Grand Final. The lower-bracket finalist gets whatever’s left.

The broader tournament format

MSI 2026 runs from June 28 to July 12 at the Daejeon Convention Center II in Daejeon, South Korea. Eleven teams from leagues around the world will compete across two main phases.

The Play-In stage kicks things off from June 28 to July 1, featuring a four-team double-elimination bracket. The Bracket stage follows from July 3 through July 11, expanding to an eight-team double-elimination format. The Grand Final lands on July 12, where the Right of Dual Selection comes into play for the upper-bracket finalist.

Why separating side selection from draft order matters

For years, competitive League of Legends has operated under a system where side selection and draft order are essentially the same decision. Blue side equals first pick. Red side equals last pick.

Decoupling these two variables creates an entirely new layer of strategic depth. Coaches now have to prepare for four possible configurations instead of two. A team might prefer red side for its map layout advantages but want first pick to secure a contested champion. Previously, that combination wasn’t possible. Now it is.

What this means for competitive League of Legends

The Right of Dual Selection is fundamentally about making the path to the final matter. In previous tournaments, the upper-bracket finalist’s main advantage was rest time and fewer games played. This change makes the upper-bracket advantage legible. Fans watching the Grand Final will know exactly why one team got to choose first, and they’ll be able to trace that advantage back to specific wins earlier in the bracket.

The MSI 2026 format also includes fan engagement features like Pick’Ems and a revenue-sharing skin, tying viewer participation to the competitive action.