Team Liquid vs. MCC Players: What Makes the Asian Games MLBB Tournament Interesting

In mid-September, the 2026 Asian Games kicked off in Japan—the largest sporting event, similar to the Olympics, but exclusively for countries in this part of the world. The program features a total of 43 sports, including wushu, sepak takraw (a sport similar to volleyball but played without using the hands), squash, and, of course, esports—all of which are popular in Asia.

At the Olympics, the story of video games ended on a sad note: after exhibition competitions, esports never made it into the main program, and the IOC’s partners from Saudi Arabia decided to hold their own Esports Nations Cup. But in Asia, where the culture of competitive gaming is more developed, esports became a full-fledged event in the Games program as early as 2023—complete with medals, an awards ceremony, and all the other trappings.

A total of 469 sets of awards will be up for grabs in Japan—including 13 medals across 11 esports disciplines. The list includes such well-known games as League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, and MLBB. That said, the tournament lineup may come as a surprise to Western viewers: while Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2—which are popular in the West—are absent, the lineup includes the mobile MOBA Pokémon UNITE, the battle royale Naraka: Bladepoint, and the horror game Identity V. 

The team-based fighting game tournament may also pique viewers’ interest: each national team includes one player each for Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and The King of Fighters XV, and the winning team will be the one that wins at least two series across two different games. There will also be a single set of prizes for the entire tournament.

Most of the attention will be focused on the League of Legends tournament. South Korea has brought a truly star-studded roster to Japan, led by the legendary Lee Sang-hyeok “Faker.” China is not represented in esports, but the favorites will have rivals—the Vietnamese national team includes players from Secret Whales (top 6 at the Summer MSI), while members of JD Gaming, the top 3 from the 2026 LPL Regional Finals.

The Honor of Kings tournament will feature Chinese champions, while PUBG Mobile will showcase top players from Pakistan’s 4Thrives, South Korea’s Dplus, and other strong teams. Fighting game fans will get to see EVO winner Daichi “Nobi” Naikya and the legendary 43-year-old Akihito “SCORE” Sawada. The lineup isn’t exactly star-studded—but it’s still extremely interesting.

The same goes for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang—at the Asian Games, this game, which is particularly popular in this part of the world, simply couldn’t be left without its top players. Several star-studded teams and standout players are heading to Japan.

Unlike LoL or Honor of Kings, it’s harder to pinpoint a clear favorite for Mobile Legends at the 2026 Asian Games. But it’s still possible—the Philippines has sent the entire Team Liquid roster to the event. “Liquid” has managed to bounce back from its setback at the 2026 Mid-Season Cup and is currently leading the MPL Philippines regular season with an 8-2 record.

However, Liquid will face at least two very worthy opponents, both of which consist entirely of players from a single team. Yangon Galacticos from Myanmar took second place at the Summer MSC, and in the local MSL Myanmar, they haven’t lost a single map yet—and overall, they’ve suffered only one loss in their last 30 matches (to Team Spirit in the Mid-Season finals).

The M7 finalists from Alter Ego had an extremely poor first half of the 2026 season, finishing only 7th in the MPL Spring Split. But after winning the AFK Masters S1 in Moscow, the team’s fortunes turned around: this season in the MPL Indonesia, the team’s 8-3 record is second only to Liquid ID. Therefore, there’s no doubt that the Indonesian team will also be in the running for the title.

Of the “big three” SEA countries, Malaysia looks the weakest: outside the region, Selangor Red Giants have not been performing well in 2026, and in Japan, they’ll be playing without captain Mark “Kramm” Rusiana and holder Vincent “Innocent” Banala. The Filipinos on the national team will be replaced by Muhammad “Sizkaa” Sazali from Vamos and Danial “CikuGais” Fuad from Bigetron—hardly a significant upgrade.

The favorites have few competitors: the Saudi Arabian national team with a trio from Team Falcons (top 12 at M7), The MongolZ, and the Cambodians from Vigor Apex, who won six out of seven maps in the SEA qualifiers for the Games (including victories over the Philippines, Malaysia, and Myanmar). The teams from Jordan and Hong Kong, with almost no well-known players, appear to be clear underdogs.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the two national teams representing the EECA region. Each will feature one player from MCC Season 8, who will miss their respective teams’ regular-season league matches as a result: RAKUZAN mid laner Vadim “Dont” Dolgushin will lead the Uzbekistan national team to victory, while Salamat “Oolannn” Ulan from Rune Eaters will play for Kazakhstan.

Objectively speaking, their chances of winning are slim, but both countries are capable of making it to the playoffs—in the group stage, both will face a clear favorite and one relatively weak team. After that, we’ll have to hope for miracles, like a Rune Eaters victory over SRG in the first map at the Games of the Future.

A total of 11 national teams will gather in Japan—it was supposed to be 12, but Iran withdrew from several disciplines after winning the qualifiers. All participants will be divided into four subgroups, where they will face off in best-of-3 series:

Thus, both teams from Group D will advance, and their head-to-head match will only affect seeding. The playoffs will be held using a single-elimination format (without a losers’ bracket), and the matchups have already been determined.

If we’re making predictions, Kazakhstan will have the toughest time, as they’ll face the group’s top favorite, and if they advance to the quarterfinals, they’ll face a team from Group B (likely Malaysia or Indonesia). The same goes for the Philippines—the first round of the playoffs is sure to feature a showdown between the two strongest SEA national teams.

All group stage matches will take place on Tuesday, September 29. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for September 30, and the MLBB Asian Games Grand Final is set for October 1. However, esports fans from our region will have a tough time: the first two days of competition begin at 3:00 a.m. Moscow time, and only the final starts at the relatively more reasonable time of 8:00 a.m. Moscow time. 

The Asian Games MLBB tournament is set to be streamed on the game’s YouTube channel and other social media platforms. There won’t be an official Russian-language stream, so you’ll have to rely on community streams—or tune in to English-language broadcasts. 

If you’re interested in esports (and don’t mind sacrificing some sleep), this event is sure to deliver some thrilling moments: legends of the global scene will face off against each other and our friends from MCC, while mixed national teams (such as Malaysia) and the sport’s official recognition will add to the excitement of the Games.