The M8 World Championship is just over two months away, and the first representatives of several regions have already been determined. Some teams have secured direct berths in the Main Stage, while others will begin their tournament run in the Wild Card stage.
The M8 Main Stage will take place in Istanbul in January 2027, preceded by an expanded Wild Card stage in Bangkok. This time, 10 teams will compete in the Wild Card, with three of them earning spots in the Main Stage. A total of 16 teams will compete in the Main Stage.
Representatives from the Philippines, MENA, and Thailand have already been determined, while the fight for spots is still ongoing in Indonesia, Türkiye, and Myanmar.
The Philippines, traditionally considered one of the strongest MLBB regions, was among the first to determine its representatives.
Team Falcons PH were the first team to secure a spot at M8. They defeated Aurora Gaming PH 3:2 in the upper-bracket final of MPL Philippines Season 18 and secured their place at the World Championship by reaching the grand final.
Aurora then dropped to the lower bracket, where they faced the reigning Philippine champions, Team Liquid PH. In a tense best-of-seven series, Aurora prevailed 4:3 and became the second Philippine representative at M8.
As a result, the Philippines are guaranteed to have two teams in the M8 Main Stage:
In the grand final, Aurora Gaming PH defeated Team Falcons PH 4:2 to become the champions of MPL Philippines Season 18. Aurora will therefore head to M8 as the Philippine champions, while Team Falcons PH will represent the region as the tournament's runners-up. Both teams have already secured their places in the Main Stage of the World Championship.
The upcoming World Championship will be particularly important for Aurora, as the team are the reigning M7 champions and will have a chance to defend their title.
Two more teams have been determined in MPL MENA Season 10.
Team Falcons became the regional champions after defeating Titan Esports Club 4:2 in the grand final. As a result, Team Falcons earned a direct berth in the M8 Main Stage.
Titan Esports Club, meanwhile, will also get a chance to compete internationally. Reaching the grand final secured the team a spot in the M8 Wild Card.
Therefore, the MENA representatives are already known:
Team Falcons will now join the Philippine representatives in the fight for the M8 title.
Another M8 participant has been determined in Thailand.
Leon Esports became the champions of MSL Thailand Season 2, defeating Bacon Time 4:3 in the grand final. The team finished the regular season undefeated at 9:0 and, after losing to Bacon Time in the playoffs, fought through the lower bracket to reach the final once again.
Following their victory, Leon Esports were given the choice between two international paths: the M8 World Championship Wild Card and MCT SEA.
The team chose the M8 Wild Card. Leon Esports are therefore guaranteed to compete at the World Championship, but they will begin their campaign in the Wild Card stage in Bangkok rather than the Main Stage.
The current Wild Card lineup includes:
Meanwhile, the second- and third-place finishers at MSL Thailand — Bacon Time and TENACITY — will compete in MCT SEA. This tournament will also have a direct impact on the M8 lineup: the top two MCT SEA teams will receive direct Main Stage berths, while the third- and fourth-place teams will advance to the Wild Card.
The battle for M8 berths in MPL Indonesia Season 18 is still ahead, but the teams' starting positions are already known.
Natus Vincere finished the regular season in second place with a record of 12 wins and 4 losses. Team Liquid ID finished with the same record, but placed above NAVI thanks to a better map differential — 26:11 compared with 25:12.
For NAVI, this is the organization's best result since entering MPL Indonesia. Finishing second allowed the team to skip the first playoff round and start their run directly in the second round of the upper bracket.
Six teams will compete for the M8 berths in Indonesia:
The two MPL Indonesia Season 18 finalists will receive direct berths in the M8 Main Stage. Therefore, NAVI need to win two upper-bracket series to guarantee their place at the World Championship.
It is also worth noting that NAVI finished the regular season ahead of reigning Indonesian champions Bigetron by Vitality and last year's finalists ONIC. The Ukrainian organization now has one final step to take — making it through the playoffs.
The situation in the MTC Türkiye Championship Season 8 is also still undecided.
The regular season ended on October 18, after which the six best teams advanced to the playoffs. The tournament will determine one Turkish representative for the M8 Main Stage and one Wild Card participant.
One of the main contenders remains Aurora Gaming. The team have won the Turkish championship multiple times and are once again competing for an international berth this season.
The MTC Season 8 playoffs began on October 24, with the grand final scheduled for November 7. Therefore, as of October 25, Türkiye's M8 representatives have not yet been determined.
The stakes are particularly high for the local teams, as Istanbul will host the main part of M8, making Türkiye the host country for the first M-Series World Championship held in Europe.
Another interesting situation has developed in MSL Myanmar Season 4.
The tournament concludes on October 25, so the Myanmar champion had not yet been determined at the time of writing. However, Falcon Esports have already reached the grand final.
In the upper-bracket final, Falcon Esports defeated Yangon Galacticos to secure their place in the deciding series. Yangon Galacticos will now face Team Secret in the lower-bracket final.
At the same time, it is important not to confuse winning MSL Myanmar with a direct M8 berth. The Myanmar champion will earn a place in MCT SEA, which will serve as the next stage of the road to M8.
Therefore, even a Falcon Esports victory in the grand final would not mean automatic qualification for the World Championship. The team would still have to go through MCT SEA.
Thus, at least three of the 16 Main Stage spots have already been determined, while two Wild Card participants are known. The decisive regional league matches and the December MCT SEA remain ahead and will be among the key stages on the road to M8.
The World Championship itself will begin in Bangkok with the Wild Card stage, after which the best teams will travel to Istanbul, where the new Mobile Legends: Bang Bang world champion will be crowned.
As a reminder, The inaugural FC Pro Mobile 26 World Championship has concluded in Seoul.
