The Story So Far with MSC at EWC 25

For the second year in a row, one of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s biggest international tournaments has taken center stage at the Esports World Cup. The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup at 2025 Esports World Cup has brought together hundreds of players from nearly 20 nations to compete at the highest level.

One shot at greatness

MCS at EWC 25 is more than just a final battle for supremacy — it's a last chance for ML:BB teams from around the globe to earn recognition on the international stage. The journey began in the wildcard stage, held from July 10th to July 12th. This phase offered a final shot at global recognition for teams trying to prove themselves on the world stage.

Eight teams clashed in a brutal elimination bracket where only one could advance. Among the fallen were Team Falcons, whose hopes of adding much-needed Club Championship points vanished after a swift elimination. Japan’s Zeta Division also failed to find momentum, bowing out after just two days of competition.

Ultimately, it was Virtus.pro who managed to weather the storm, narrowly defeating dogged foe Rare Atom for the sole remaining spot.

Favorites fall and dragons rise

After a week-long break, the MCS resumed with the Group Stage, where 16 teams were split into two fiercely competitive brackets. Competition was tough, but several standouts made themselves known — most notably Team Spirit, who breezed through their Group B bracket undefeated. The organization finished in the 9th–12th spot at the last MCS in 2024, and clearly, falling just short of the points isn’t good enough for them this year.

Spirit were the only undefeated team in the Group Stage, with every other team — even many of the favorites — dropping games. The most impressive performances came from the likes of SRG.OG and ONIC Philippines. The SRG.OG lineup battled back from a lower bracket slip to reach the final eight, while ONIC Philippines recovered from a disappointing loss to Aurora Türkiye and went 4-0 in the lower bracket, giving them tremendous momentum heading into the knockout stage.

After the dust had settled, only eight teams remained. We’d lost our wildcard winners, Virtus.pro, along with several promising challengers.

Teams to watch at during the knockout stage

The knockout stage begins Wednesday, July 30th, and will be the most electric phase of the tournament yet. The path to the championship is anything but clear.

Team Spirit

The Russian squad are undefeated so far, but they’ve also avoided other top-tier teams up to this point. Kemiran 'Sunset Lover' Kochkarov and his teammates will need to elevate their game if they hope to continue their lossless streak.

SRG.OG

After falling early in the tournament, the returning EWC 24 champions look to be in better form as we enter the MCS at EWC 25 endgame. Selangor Red Giants, made up of Malaysian and Filipino players, will need to go through RRQ Hoshi before taking on the undefeated Team Spirit.

ONIC

ONIC look to make a deep run with both their Filipino and Indonesian rosters on opposite sides of the bracket. One, or both, could make a serious play for the title.

The ML:BB MCS at the 2025 Esports World Cup could be one of the closest competitions yet. Kicking off on Wednesday, July 30th, and with $3,000,000 in prize money on the line, this is set to be a can’t-miss moment of EWC 25.