Organizers of the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) event at the 2026 Asian Games have conducted the main tournament group stage draw. The International Olympic Committee-sanctioned tournament will take place from September 29 to October 1 at the Aichi Sky Expo in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, marking the game's 10th anniversary.
Following its appearances in Singapore and at EWC 2026 in Paris, the Nagoya tournament marks the next stop in MLBB's global esports circuit, which will continue with the M8 World Championship Finals in Istanbul, Türkiye, in 2027.
Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, noted that MLBB's Asian Games debut during its milestone year is a defining moment, reflecting the game's evolution from entertainment for millions into a global competitive platform for elite athletes.
Tournament Format
The main stage features 11 regional teams distributed across four groups:
Group Stage: Played in a Single Round-Robin format with Best-of-3 (Bo3) matches. The top two teams from each group advance to the Quarterfinals.
Playoffs: Played in a Single-Elimination format. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will feature Bo3 matches, while the gold medalists will be decided in a Best-of-7 (Bo7) Grand Final.
Group Distribution and Participants
Group A: Myanmar (built around the Yangon Galacticos core), Uzbekistan, Hong Kong (China).
Group B: Indonesia (led by the Alter Ego core alongside EVOS' Albert), Malaysia (featuring Yums and Cikugais), Saudi Arabia.
Group C: Philippines (headlined by KarlTzy and Kelra), Jordan, Kazakhstan.
Group D: Cambodia and Mongolia.
A unique situation has formed in Group D: with only two teams, both national rosters automatically guaranteed their spot in the Quarterfinals, meaning their head-to-head match will solely determine playoff seeding. Cambodia enters the match following a 2-0 victory over the Philippines in the qualifiers.
To commemorate the tournament, MOONTON Games has prepared themed in-game rewards: the "Beyond Legacy! Asian Glory" recall effect and avatar border, along with the "Shadow Arts, Perfected" emoji. Players can reserve a stream viewing for the finals (October 1) through an in-game event running from September 16 to 30 to claim the recall effect for free between October 1 and 5. The emoji will be available by completing in-game tasks from September 19 to October 2, while the avatar border will unlock starting October 1.
Additionally, developers are launching the interactive "Hero Personality Card" feature, which matches players with MLBB characters. Around 20 professional esports athletes and Asian Games participants will reveal their own cards.
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