MOONTON Games has unveiled revamped tournament formats for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang at the upcoming Esports World Cup in Riyadh. Specifically, these changes will restructure the Mid Season Cup and the MLBB Women’s International for their largest editions to date. Consequently, the new structures aim to increase the competitive level of the international mid-season circuit, supporting the digital economy.
New Formats for the Esports World Cup
The Mid Season Cup will now feature a 25-team championship, with the Wild Card stage expanding to 10 teams. To accommodate this larger lineup, the Wild Card phase will unfold across three distinct stages. Meanwhile, the main Group Stage will transition to a double-elimination format featuring 16 teams.
During Phase 1 of the Wild Card, ten teams will compete in a single round-robin format with best-of-one matches. The top team from each of the two groups will secure automatic qualification to Phase 3. However, the bottom-placed teams will face immediate elimination from the tournament.
Wild Card and Group Stage Progression
Phase 2 introduces a cross-group gauntlet format where lower-placed teams enter an elimination path. Specifically, the fourth-placed teams will face the third-placed teams, with the winners progressing to challenge the second-placed teams. As a result, the final winners of each group will advance to Phase 3.
In Phase 3, the final four Wild Card teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket. The winner of this phase secures the final slot in the Group Stage. Furthermore, the top four teams from the Group Stage will advance to the Knockout Stage, which features a single-elimination bracket.
Expanded Structure for Women’s Esports
The MLBB Women’s International will also expand to feature 16 teams competing in a double-elimination format. Notably, this tournament will introduce seeded matchups in the Knockout Stage for the first time. This change allows top-performing teams from the Group Stage to select their opponents from the lower bracket.
To determine the selection order, the tournament organizers will use a tie-breaking hierarchy based on game differences and win times. In addition, the tournament will feature open qualifiers across more than 60 regions. This expansion reflects the growing global footprint of the competitive gaming sector.
Global Growth and Viewership Milestones
The previous edition of the Esports World Cup delivered record-breaking viewership metrics for both tournaments. For instance, the Mid Season Cup became the first tournament in the event’s history to surpass 3 million peak concurrent viewers. Meanwhile, the women’s tournament reached a peak of 496,995 concurrent viewers.
These viewership milestones support the long-term international expansion strategy of MOONTON Games following the Esports World Cup events. As part of this global roadmap, the company will host the M8 World Championship Finals in Türkiye. Consequently, this event will mark the first time the flagship tournament takes place in Europe, driving further interest in mobile apps and competitive play.
“The road to championship contention is now more demanding, challenging teams to consistently perform under pressure. With new teams and more regions entering the tournaments, these changes are part of our broader strategy to strengthen global competitiveness.”
Tiger Xu, Global Head of MLBB Esports at MOONTON Games
