M7 World Championship tips off in Jakarta with $1M prize pool 

Coinciding with the start of the new year for Mobile Legends players, the M7 World Championship, the world’s biggest Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) tournament, opened in Jakarta, Indonesia, ushering in a month-long global esports spectacle that brings together the world’s top teams vying for the game’s most coveted global title with a massive price pool, Jan. 3.

The seventh edition of the MLBB World Championship runs from January 3 to 26, 2026, with the world’s best Mobile Legends teams competing across multiple venues in Jakarta for global supremacy.

The XO Hall, also known as the MPL Arena, hosts the Wild Card stage, the Swiss Stage, and the opening day of the Knockout Stage, while the remainder of the playoffs, including the Grand Finals, will be played at the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan.

The Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan, which also hosted the M4 World Championship in 2022, has a seating capacity of approximately 3,300, with standing room expected to push total attendance to 5,000 to 5,500 spectators.

Prize pool looms

At stake is a $1 million prize pool, where the world champion will receive nearly ₱18 million, while the runner-up is set to earn about ₱8.4 million, and the third-place finisher will take home around ₱5 million.

Other prizes include about ₱280,000 for the Finals MVP, roughly ₱3.4 million for fourth place, around ₱2.8 million for teams finishing fifth to sixth, approximately ₱2.2 million for seventh to eighth, about ₱1.1 million for ninth to 11th, nearly ₱900,000 for 12th to 14th, around ₱750,000 for 15th to 16th, about ₱670,000 for 17th to 18th, and roughly ₱500,000 for teams placing 19th to 22nd.

Wild Card stage to open tournament

The tournament opened with the Wild Card stage, where eight teams from emerging regions were battling for a lone spot in the 16-team Swiss Stage of the M7 World Championship.

Running from January 3 to 6, the Wild Card phase follows a round-robin format that tests teams’ depth, adaptability, and composure under pressure, with each squad facing every other team in its group across three days of competition, with only the top-performing team from the stage will advance to the main event.

The eight contenders are divided into two groups. Wildcard Group A includes Boostgate Esports, Leon Esports, Team Zone, and ZETA DIVISION, while Wildcard Group B is composed of Axe, Guangzhou Gaming, RLG SE, and Virtus.pro.

With limited room for error and no second chances, the Wild Card stage is expected to deliver tightly contested matchups as teams fight to keep their championship hopes alive and earn a place among the world’s elite Mobile Legends squads.

Road to the title

The competition will then move to the Swiss Stage from January 10 to 17, where 16 teams will contest five rounds of matches with advancement determined by results rather than fixed groupings, ensuring teams face opponents with similar records as the stage progresses.

Teams that record three wins will advance to the Knockout Stage, while those that suffer three losses will be eliminated from the tournament.

The top eight teams will progress to the Knockout Stage and Grand Finals from January 18 to 25, entering a double-elimination playoff that will culminate in a best-of-seven Grand Final to decide the M7 World Championship title.

Philippines favored again

Heading into the tournament, attention remains on the Philippines, having won five of the last six MLBB world championships. Team Liquid Philippines and Aurora Gaming will represent the country after strong showings in MPL Philippines Season 16.

Indonesia, competing on home soil, will aim to challenge that dominance behind ONIC Esports and Bigetron by Vitality, both backed by strong local support.

Beyond competition, the event will also feature the M7 Carnival, scheduled for January 23 to 25 at Stadion Madya GBK, with fan activities, live performances, and community events planned alongside the matches.

As the opening day now approaches, Jakarta becomes the center of the MLBB world, with teams preparing for the long road toward the game’s biggest prize.