During the grand final of the M7 World Championship in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, MOONTON Games shared the discipline’s esports roadmap for 2026.
The main announcement concerned the location of the M8 World Championship, which will take place in January 2026. The Wild Card stage will be held in Thailand, while all remaining stages will take place in Istanbul, Turkey. This will mark the first championship in the series to be hosted outside Southeast Asia.
Regional MPL leagues will remain the foundation of the competitive season. The first split will run from March to June, while the second split will take place from July to December. The only major structural update affects MPL Malaysia, which will operate under a franchising model.
The Esports World Cup 2026 will feature the Mid Season Cup (MSC) and the MLBB Women’s Invitational. These tournaments are expected to have some of the largest prize pools in mobile esports.
In addition, MLBB has been confirmed as a medal event at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
As a reminder, a national teams tournament in MLBB has also been announced as part of the Esports Nations Cup 2026.