Ahead of the M7 World Championship Grand Final, representatives of Moonton Studios announced the organization of a Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament as part of the Esports Nations Cup 2026. This marks the first officially confirmed discipline for ENC 2026.
The debut competition between national teams will take place from November 23 to 29, featuring 32 teams. The tournament will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The tournament will consist of two stages:
- At the group stage, 32 national teams will be divided into four groups of eight teams each. They will compete in a round-robin format, with matches played as best-of-two (Bo2). The top four teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
- Sixteen teams will advance to the playoffs, which will feature a single-elimination bracket. All playoff matches leading up to the final will be played in a best-of-five (Bo5) format, while the grand final will be best-of-seven (Bo7).
Direct invitations to the championship will be awarded to 16 national teams determined by a newly introduced MLBB Nations Ranking system. This ranking takes into account performances at international, regional, and selected national club tournaments. Clubs earn points based on their placements in official tournaments, and these points are evenly distributed among all participating players. A nation’s ranking is calculated by summing the points of the top five players from the registered national roster. The ranking snapshot date is August 2, 2026.
An additional 14 teams will qualify through regional qualifiers scheduled for August 14–16.
Regional slot distribution:
- North America: 1 slot
- South America: 1 slot
- Middle East & North Africa (MENA): 2 slots
- Western Europe: 2 slots
- Eastern Europe & Central Asia: 2 slots
- East Asia: 2 slots
- South Asia: 1 slot
- Southeast Asia & Oceania: 2 slots
- Africa: 1 slot
Two national teams will receive Wildcard invitations.
As a reminder, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has received a free five-hour trial access.