M5 World Championship to introduce wildcard format
The M5 World Championship will be introducing an upgraded tournament format which features wildcard qualifiers for the first time, on top of the group and knockout stages.
The move marks a the start of a new era in the M-series, the most prestigious tournament in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports ecosystem.
The new format intends to empower emerging regions, giving them more opportunities to engage in inter-regional showdowns.
In the new format, the wild card will be hosted in November, featuring eight different regions, followed by the M5 proper (group and knockout stages) in December in the Philippines.
The M5 Champion will walk away with the lion’s share of US$ 900,000.
The list of confirmed regions for the wildcard stage as of June 2023 include the following:
- Malaysia
- Mekong
- Latin America
- South Asia
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA)
- Mongolia
The two remaining regions will be announced later this year.
Here’s a quick breakdown of slots allocation for the M5.
Direct qualification:
- Philippines: 2 (MPL Philippines champion and runner-up)
- Indonesia: 2 (MPL Indonesia champion and runner-up)
- Latin America: 2 (LIGA LATAM champion and runner-up)
- Malaysia: 1 (MPL Malaysia Champion)
- Singapore: 1 (MPL Singapore Champion)
- Cambodia: 1 (MPL Cambodia Champion)
- Myanmar: 1 (M5 Myanmar Qualifier Champion)
- North America: 1 (North America Challenger Tournament Champion)
- Turkey: 1 (MLBB Türkiye Championship Champion)
- MENA: 1 (MPL Middle East & North Africa Champion)
- EECA: 1 (Champion from MLBB Continental Championships)
Wildcards:
- Malaysia: 1 (MPL Malaysia runner-up)
- Mekong: 1 (M5 MEKONG Qualifier champion)
- Latin America: 1 (LIGA LATAM 2nd-runner up)
- South Asia: 1 (MLBB Champions Battle winner)
- EECA: 1 (MLBB Continental Championships runner-up)
- Mongolia: 1 (M5 World Championship National Wild Card Qualifier Mongolia)
- 2 entrants to be confirmed
