The MLBB calendar features only two major international events: the summer Cup and the winter World Championship. In this1xBetreview, we’ll take a closer look at the first one, the 2026 MLBB Mid Season Cup.
Format: 32 Teams, $3 Million Prize Pool
For several years, the Mid Season Cup has been part of the Esports World Cup festival, and the current tournament is no exception. Being included in the EWC 2026 structure allowed the organizers to secure a solid $3 million prize pool. For comparison, teams compete for just $1 million at the more prestigious World Championship.
The 2026 MLBB Mid Season Cup featured 32 teams and lasted exactly one month, from July 1 to August 1. Until July 4, ten squads with Wildcard invites competed for the only spot in the main event. Team Falcons from the MENA region won this stage, not to be confused with Team Falcons PH.
After a long break, the group stage followed,
After a long break, the group stage followed, with 16 teams divided into two equal groups. The stage took place from July 22 to 26, and the four lowest-ranked teams from each group were eliminated, while the top four advanced to the playoffs.
Tournament Run: Early Exit of the Reigning Champions and a European Surprise
Fans traditionally expect the most exciting matches in the playoffs. However, the first surprises came during the group stage of the 2026 MLBB Mid Season Cup. Few expected Selangor Red Giants (MSC 2024 winners) and reigning MSC 2025 champions Team Liquid PH to miss out on the playoffs, while CIS representatives Team Spirit and Cambodia’s PRO Esports successfully advanced through this stage.
In the quarterfinals, Team Spirit and Yangon Galacticos swept Team Vamos and PRO Esports, respectively. Team Falcons PH and ONIC had to fight for their semifinal spots: Falcons defeated Team Vitality only in the fourth match, while ONIC secured a win over Aurora Gaming in the fifth.
Even before it started, the first semifinal between
Even before it started, the first semifinal between Team Falcons PH vs Yangon Galacticos looked like a battle between evenly matched lineups. The prediction proved correct: YG took the first two rounds, then Falcons leveled the score, but Galacticos were ultimately stronger in the decisive fifth round.
The second semifinal between ONIC vs Team Spirit looked like an easy win for the Indonesian side. The roster competes in one of the strongest regional leagues, MPL Indonesia, where it has won eight seasons, including the last two. Meanwhile, Team Spirit represents the much weaker CIS region, where the team rarely faces serious competition in the MLBB Continental Championships. Experts expected Team Spirit to suffer a heavy 3-0 defeat, but the opposite happened: Team Spirit swept their more famous opponents and reached the grand final.
The decisive Bo7 series turned into a true thriller: Yangon Galacticos and Team Spirit needed all seven rounds to determine the winner! The full story of this epic showdown deserves a separate article, but Team Spirit secured the victory with a close 4-3 score. As a result, the European team became the first to win a major international MLBB event, as Southeast Asian teams, especially those from the Philippines and Indonesia, had completely dominated the game.
Have European rosters truly reached the level
Have European rosters truly reached the level of Asian squads, or will Team Spirit’s victory remain a one-time exception? Esports fans and 1xBet users will find out very soon at the M8 World Championship!
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Source: theindependent.sg
