The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) today announced Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) as the first of the 16 world-class titles that national teams will compete in at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November. The MLBB main event will consist of a round-robin group stage followed by a single-elimination playoff in the closing week of the ENC.
Here’s everything you need to know about MLBB at ENC 2026:
SCHEDULE AND FORMAT
The MLBB tournament at ENC 2026 will begin on November 23, 2026, and will conclude with the grand final on November 29, 2026. All stages of the main event will take place entirely on LAN.
The first stage will consist of 32 national teams competing in a round-robin group stage, featuring four groups of eight teams. All matches will be best-of-two. The top four teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
The second stage will consist of 16 national teams competing in a single-elimination playoff bracket. All matches will be best-of-five prior to the grand finals, which will be best-of-seven.
RANKING SYSTEM AND QUALIFIER INFO
32 national teams will compete in the MLBB event at ENC 2026.
16 national teams will be directly invited based on a newly created MLBB nation ranking system
14 national teams will qualify through regional online qualifiers held in August
2 Wildcard teams will be invited
The newly created MLBB nation ranking system will take into account international, regional, and some national club competitions. Clubs will be awarded points based on placements at official MLBB competitions, with those points equally shared across all Club teammates who participated. The national ranking will then accumulate the points of the top five players on the submitted national roster. The cut-off date for the national ranking is August 2nd, after the conclusion of the Mid Season Cup at Esports World Cup 2026.
The MLBB qualifiers will take place August 14-16. Qualifiers will be double-elimination brackets, hosted in each of the following regions:
North America (1 slot)
South America (1)
Middle East + North Africa (2)
Western Europe (2)
Eastern Europe + Central Asia (2)
East Asia (2)
South Asia (1)
Southeast Asia + Oceania (2)
Africa (1)
MLBB AT THE ESPORTS WORLD CUP
At the Esports World Cup 2025, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang delivered two of the event’s defining tournaments through the Mid Season Cup (MSC) and the Women’s Invitational (MWI), bringing elite competition and global representation to Riyadh. MSC concluded with Team Liquid PH securing the title in a 4–1 Grand Final victory, while MWI saw Team Vitality lift the trophy with a 4–0 sweep in the final. Beyond the results, MLBB created moving storylines throughout the season, including Team Liquid’s Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya (Philippines) balancing elite performance with the responsibility of supporting his family, and Team Vitality’s Chell and Cinny (Indonesia) competing in Riyadh after the loss of their grandfather on the day they arrived.
Across both competitions, 24 nations were represented in MLBB main events at EWC 2025.
Additional information about the Esports Nations Cup will be released in the coming weeks. To stay up to date, visit esportsnationscup.com, and follow ENC on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and follow the Esports World Cup Foundation on LinkedIn.
