MLBB Named First Title for Esports Nations Cup 2026

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has been confirmed as the first featured title among “16 world-class titles” for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026. The announcement was jointly confirmed by tournament organizers and MOONTON Games on Jan 25, 2026, positioning MLBB at the center of a new nation-based esports competition model.

According to official details, the MLBB tournament at ENC 2026 is scheduled for Nov 23-29, 2026, with a confirmation that all games during the main event will be in LAN format. There will be 32 participating teams at the beginning of the three-stage tournament structure.

The first, a “round-robin group stage,” will divide the 32 teams into four groups for more structured gameplay. This round will feature best-of-two (Bo2) matches, ultimately allowing the top four teams from each group, meaning a total of 16 teams, to advance into the “single-elimination playoff bracket.”

During the playoffs, matches will be in best-of-five (Bo5) format, and the grand finals will feature a best-of-seven (Bo7) format. MOONTON Games stated in the official press release, “Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is honored to be the first title announced for the Esports Nations Cup 2026,” and that the publisher is excited to observe how “national pride take centre stage” at ENC 2026.

Qualification Pathways and Ranking System for MLBB at ENC 2026

Central to the ENC format is a newly announced global ranking and qualification system, designed to standardize national team selection across regions. Under the framework outlined by organizers, Clubs will receive points based on placements at official MLBB competitions in international, national, and regional club competitions.

According to MOONTON, club points will be equally shared by all team members under that club’s roster, and the national team will “accumulate the points of the top five players on the submitted national roster."

Participating teams will qualify either through regional ENC qualifiers (14 teams) or via direct invitations based on the newly created MLBB nation ranking system (16 teams). MLBB qualifiers are scheduled to take place between Aug 14 and 16, after the submission of the national cut-off on Aug 2, 2026.

The MLBB ENC qualifiers will take place across North and South Americas, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Africa, East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, and South Asia. The combined qualification model is intended to reward sustained international performance rather than single-event outcomes.