Mobile Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026: Proving Ground for New Region Format

Moonton has shared details about the participation of Mobile Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026. The mobile MOBA game will go all-out at the mid-season international esports festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

EWC 2026 marks an important moment in the MLBB esports ecosystem, as this is the first major international tournament to implement its new regional format.

Spearheading the EWC with their men’s and women’s tournament, Mobile Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026 is definitely a hallmark with a combined prize pool of USD 3.5 million.

MSC 2026 region allocation

The MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2026 will field 16 teams at the main stage, with an expanded allocation for the wildcard phase.

The wildcard phase will be the biggest phase to date, with a total of 10 teams participating. The East Asia region has the largest allocation of 3 teams, while the rest can only send out 1 team: Mekong, Thailand, MENA, Turkey, Western Europe, EECA, and the Americas. Only one wildcard team can qualify for the main stage.

Meanwhile at the main stage, the three franchise regions, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, are able to send 2 teams each. The rest of the unfranchised regions can send 1 team: they are Cambodia, Myanmar, Singapore, MENA, Turkey, EECA, East Asia, the Americas, and India.

From this overhauled region system, we can see new faces such as those from Western Europe, Thailand, and India. The participation of new regions, as well as the strengthening of existing ones, shows Moonton’s commitment to expanding the scope of the MLBB esports ecosystem.

MWI 2026 region allocation

Moving on to the women’s tournament, the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) 2026 also reworked its regional allocation system, following MLBB’s vision for their men’s division.

Participating regions are the Philippines, Cambodia, Mekong, Africa, Mongolia, North America, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia & Singapore, Myanmar, MENA, EECA, China, South America, and Western Europe.

One interesting twist is that last year’s champion will be granted automatic qualification to MWI 2026. That means Indonesia’s Team Vitality will also participate, alongside one other Indonesian team.

It will be interesting to see how Team Vitality defends their title, as competition in the women’s division is getting fiercer.

Excitement heading towards Mobile Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026

The hype for Mobile Legends at the Esports World Cup 2026 is getting bigger, as the esports title is expected to generate a large buzz during the event.

As reported by Esports Charts, Mobile Legends became the biggest game title of the Esports World Cup 2025, totaling over 47 million hours watched. That’s a whopping 12% from the entire viewership of EWC 2025, which hosted 25 tournaments.

It would be possible for MSC 2026 and MWI 2026 to break this record, provided that the best teams could keep on fighting until the grand finals.

“Through our five-region strategy and globalization efforts, we are making the road to the world stage clearer and more accessible for every region,” said Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at Moonton Games.

“This means more chances for new MLBB players to prove themselves, for emerging regions to step up with confidence, and for our community to see their own stories reflected in the competition. At the same time, we are committed to ensuring that women in MLBB have meaningful platforms, structured pathways, and the visibility they deserve,” he continued.

The Esports World Cup 2026 will begin on July 6 and will last until August 23. MWI 2026 will start on July 13 to 17, while MSC 2026 begins on July 22 to August 1.