The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup at the Esports World Cup 2026 is advancing to the playoff stage. All participants for the decisive phase have been determined, and the first elimination matches will kick off on July 29, 2026.
This year's event has been marked by major upsets. The primary favorite and reigning champion, Team Liquid PH, unexpectedly exited the competition during the group stage. Meanwhile, Aurora Gaming Turkey became a true revelation, eliminating not only TLPH but also the formidable Indonesian powerhouse, ONIC, from their bracket.
According to the tournament rules, teams that secured a playoff spot through the upper bracket of the group stage handpicked their opponents for the first round. An interesting pattern emerged: all top seeds chose to face teams they had already encountered, guaranteeing a series of highly anticipated and principled rematches.
In the first matchup, Aurora Gaming (Turkey) will face off against ONIC (Indonesia). The Turkish squad, led by coach Neil "Midnight" De Guzman, showcased impressive adaptability and unconventional drafts to defeat Southeast Asia's strongest teams, selecting ONIC for their first-round matchup. The Indonesian team fought their way to the playoffs through the lower bracket, sweeping the Malaysian favorites SRG, and now seek revenge for their group-stage loss.
Another clash features Team Vitality / Bigetron (Indonesia) going up against Team Falcons PH (Philippines). The Indonesians flawlessly executed their Group A run, not dropping a single map to their opponents, and now face a rematch against the Filipinos. Team Falcons PH, featuring former world champion Salic "Hadji" Imam, survived the lower bracket, where they were forced to eliminate their MENA region sister team.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Team Vamos is gearing up for a rematch against CIS representatives Team Spirit. Founded by a former Dota 2 esports pro, Team Vamos remains the sole Malaysian team in the tournament after confidently clearing the group stage. Spirit maintained their tournament life with a hard-fought 2:1 victory over China's Guangzhou Gaming in the lower bracket.
The final pairing sees Yangon Galacticos (Myanmar) taking on PRO Esports (Cambodia). Yangon Galacticos arrived at EWC 2026 as their domestic league champions with a 100% win rate. They smoothly cleared their group's upper bracket and independently chose a rematch against PRO Esports. The Cambodian squad, reinforced by Filipino imports Kyle "Koyl" Reyes and Salvic "Kouzen" Tolarba, powered through the lower bracket by eliminating South America's Entity 7.
Where to Watch: Official English-language broadcasts will be available on the Esports World Cup and MLBB eSports YouTube channels.
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