New Formats For MSC 2026 and MWI 2026 Explained

Moonton has introduced a brand-new format for its mid-year MLBB international tournaments, MSC 2026 and MWI 2026, that will be held at the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, France, this July.

This new format is designed to once again push the competitiveness of MLBB’s teams and leagues, which in turn will further the development of its esports ecosystem.

“As MSC and MWI continue to grow, our tournament formats must evolve alongside the rising level of competition across the MLBB ecosystem. The road to championship contention is now more demanding, challenging teams to consistently perform under pressure,” said Tiger Xu, the
Global Head of MLBB Esports at Moonton Games.

“With new teams and more regions entering the tournaments, these changes are part of our broader strategy to strengthen the global competitiveness of our ecosystem,” he added.

The MSC 2026 will be separated into three main stages: the wild card, the group stage, and the knockout stage. Each stage will feature a multi-phase competition format; it might sound complicated, but it will make sense when you read it carefully.

Starting from the wild card, 10 teams are separated into two groups in the group stage round-robin phase. Teams will play in their respective groups, using a single round robin, best-of-1 system. The winner of each group will advance to the third phase, and the last one will be eliminated. The rest will go to phase 2.

6 groups in the middle of the pack will enter the second phase, the cross-group gauntlet. The fourth-placed teams from each group will first face the third-placed teams, with the winners progressing to challenge the second-placed teams. The final winners of each group will advance to phase 3. The rest will be eliminated.

The third phase, the wild card final bracket, is a single elimination, best-of-3 matches that will shrink the four remaining teams until one single champion remains. They will continue to the main group stage of the MSC 2026.

Things are getting simpler, but still full of stakes in the group stage. 16 teams will be divided into two groups, where they will play in a double elimination, best-of-3 system. Teams will be permitted to take one defeat, where they will be lowered into the lower bracket. Losing at any moment in the lower bracket means elimination.

A total of 8 teams from the group stage will continue to the knockout stage: four from the upper bracket and four others from the lower bracket. This one will be more straightforward, where teams will play in single elimination, best-of-5 matches until two teams remain in the best-of-7 grand finals match. A third-place match will also take place.

MWI 2026, now rebranded as MLBB Women’s International to reflect the increased competitive level of the women’s tournament, will also feature a refreshed format that is similar to the MSC 2026’s group stage.

In the group stage, 16 teams will be separated into two groups, fighting in a double elimination bracket. 8 teams will move on to the knockout stage, where they will play single elimination matches. At the end of the road, a grand finals match and a third-place match will take place.

Also worth noting that the knockout stage for the MWI 2026 will feature seeded matchups where upper bracket teams can select their opponent from the lower bracket.

The excitement is getting more heated as more teams qualify for each tournament. MSC 2026 and MWI 2026 will start in July 2026; both will take place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.