Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Makes Asian Games Debut With 11 Nations Competing for First Gold

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is making its debut as a medal competition at the 2026 Asian Games. Eleven national teams are competing from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, for the first-ever MLBB gold medal at the Asiad.

The tournament uses a group stage format with 11 teams split into four groups playing single round-robin matches. The top two teams from each group advance to single-elimination playoffs. All matches are best-of-three except the gold medal final, which is best-of-seven.

The Philippines enters as the favorite, fielding the core of Team Liquid PH. Filipino teams have won six of the seven MLBB World Championships. Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia are also considered contenders given Southeast Asia's established competitive scene. Iran withdrew before the tournament began.

The group stage concluded on Sept. 29 with early results determining playoff seeding. Myanmar and Hong Kong advanced from Group A, while Malaysia and Indonesia qualified from Group B. Group D included only Cambodia and Mongolia, both advancing regardless of their head-to-head result. Group C matches were still pending at the time of reporting.

Quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Sept. 30, with the gold medal match set for Oct. 1 at 1pm UTC+8. All matches stream live on MLBB's official YouTube, Facebook and TikTok channels. MLBB is part of a broader esports programme at the Asian Games. Esports made a non-medal appearance at the 2018 Asian Games before becoming a full medal discipline in 2022.