On the afternoon of February 19 (Vietnam time), Riot officially announced the venue for MSI 2022. Accordingly, the first international tournament of 2022 for the League of Legends community will be held in South Korea. This is the first international tournament for League of Legends to be held in South Korea since the 2018 World Championship, and although it is one of the two countries with the leading League of Legends scene in the world, this is the first time MSI is organized in Faker’s homeland.
Currently, quite a few countries around the world have chosen to “coexist with the Covid-19 pandemic”; however, in some countries, particularly South Korea, the regulations regarding Covid-19 prevention remain extremely strict. Notably, according to information released in January 2022, among the 10 countries that accepted Vietnam’s “Covid-19 vaccine passport,” South Korea was not included.
Thus, organizing the event in South Korea may continue to complicate the chances for VCS teams to participate in MSI 2022. Even when many major tournaments in the League of Legends community, such as LCK Spring 2022 or LPL Spring 2022, have allowed in-person matches, teams in Vietnam are still competing online. Moreover, Vietnamese teams are certainly looking for the highest safety. After all, upon returning from MSI 2022, teams will have to start preparing for the Summer 2022 season that will take place shortly after.
In addition, VCS teams must urgently prepare for the 31st SEA Games, which will occur almost concurrently with MSI 2022. Furthermore, there has been no announcement from South Korea or Riot regarding the specific venue and schedule for MSI 2022. Additionally, according to statistics, South Korea has recorded an additional 360,000 Covid-19 infections just in the past week (from February 13 to now). Therefore, holding MSI in this country is still uncertain, and the chances for VCS teams to participate in the first major tournament of 2022 after a long absence remain extremely bleak.