The Esports World Cup Foundation has revealed that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be included at the Esports Nations Cup 2026, making the first announcement about the 16-title lineup.
The tournament will begin on November 23, lasting until November 29, 2026. Each stage of the main event will be held on LAN, and 32 national teams will be competing. The breakdown for how the teams are chosen/included is as follows:
- 16 teams directly invited (based on a new Mobile Legends: Bang Bang national ranking system)
- 14 teams will qualify through a regional qualifier
- 2 Wildcard teams
The new Mobile Legends: Bang Bang national ranking system takes into account all regional and international tournaments that teams play, including some national competitions. Clubs will receive points based on their placement, and those points are equally spread across all the players. The Esports Nations Cup 2026 will look at these rankings up to August 2, which is when the Mid Season Cup at the Esports World Cup 2026 concludes.
The Qualifiers will take place in each region from August 14 to August 16, 2026. Each region has one or two slots for teams, and the breakdown is as follows:
- North America: 1
- South America: 1
- Middle East and North Africa: 2
- Western Europe: 2
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia: 2
- East Asia: 2
- South Asia: 1
- Southeast Asia and Oceania: 2
- Africa: 1
The first stage will be a round-robin group stage with four groups of eight national teams. Each match will be a best-of-two, and the top four teams from each group will move on to the second stage.
The second stage will be a single-elimination playoff bracket between the 16 teams that made it through the group stage. These will be best-of-five all the way up to the Grand Finals, which will be a best-of-seven.
The Esports Nations Cup 2026 is a new international competition that lets players represent their countries and regions instead of their team’s Club. It will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later this year.
While Mobile: Legends Bang Bang was the first game announcement made, Trackmania has also been revealed, too (and it’s also been revealed for the Esports World Cup 2026). More information on its Esports Nationals Cup 2026 tournament and the $250,000 prize pool can be found here.
