Virtus.pro (VP) is the 16th and final team to qualify for the MLBB MSC 2025 at the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) on their international debut. The team from Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) triumphed 3-1 over China's Rare Atom (RA) in the Wild Card Finals on 13th July to secure their spot in the Main Stage. The Main Stage is set to take place from 23rd July to 2nd August in Saudi Arabia, featuring 15 of the world's best MLBB teams competing for the championship title and a massive USD 3,000,000 prize pool.
Virtus.pro wins Wildcard on international debut
VP's victory over RA in the Best-of-Five (BO5) Wild Card Finals embodied the same underdog spirit that earned VP their first appearance on the international MLBB Esports stage. The EECA team's road to EWC began with Season 5 of the MLBB Continental Championships (MCC), where they secured a top-two finish in the Closed Qualifiers. In MCC Season 5, the Closed Qualifiers led into the Regular Season, followed by the Play-Ins, and finally the Playoffs. Fighting their way to the top, VP finished fifth in the Regular Season and navigated the Lower Brackets of the Play-Ins to qualify for the Playoffs. The team eventually emerged second in the Playoffs to earn their Wild Card slot.
VP features players like Andrew "Andoryuuu" Flora (Jungler), Denis "BadKot" Bogomolov (EXP Laner), Dmitrii "Bober" Beliaev (Mid Laner), Egor "superegorka" Bugaev (Marksman), and Vladimir "Pluto" Misiurin (Roamer). This year's Wild Card introduced a new format to test teams' adaptability and resilience on the world stage. This comprised a BO3, double-elimination inter-group phase—requiring teams to secure victories both within and across groups to advance—followed by a BO5 Finals.
MLBB MSC 2025 at Esports World Cup 2025: Group Stage draw revealed
The Group Stage draw took place immediately after the Wild Card Finals. The draw saw VP rewarded for their Wild Card triumph by drawing defending champions, Selangor Red Giant OG Esports (SRG).
The first three matches on 23 July see MLBB Professional League (MPL) champions, Team Liquid (Philippines), ONIC ID (Indonesia), and SRG (Malaysia) take the stage one after the other; all three heavy-hitters have been drawn in Group A, which is already looking like The Group of Death.
Meanwhile, Group B features the reigning MLBB world champions, ONIC PH, and fan favourites RRQ Hoshi. ONIC PH also have a redemption arc to complete, having relinquished the MPL PH crown in Season 15 to Team Liquid.
From 23 to 27 July, 16 of the world's best MLBB teams will compete in the Group Stage. This stage will see teams divided into two groups and compete in a BO3, double-elimination format.
MLBB Women's Invitational (MWI)
MLBB Esports action continues at the EWC 25 with the MLBB Women's Invitational (MWI)—returning as the largest women's tournament at the world's biggest multi-title esports event. From 15 to 19 July, 16 of the world's best teams will compete for the most prestigious MLBB women's esports title.
From 15 to 17 July, the Group Stage will feature 16 teams split into four groups competing in a BO3, double-elimination format. On 17 and 18 July, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Knockout Stage, which will follow a BO3, single-elimination format. On 19 July, the BO5 third-place match will give teams a final chance to secure a podium finish. The tournament will conclude on the same day with a BO7 Grand Finals to crown the newest Queens of MLBB Esports.
