Vietnam is the latest addition to the team pool participating in the Esports World Cup 2025, with Japan making a comeback since their appearance in 2020.
The Esports World Cup (EWC) x Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Mid Season Cup (MSC) 2025 will make history with 16 participating regions—marking the largest number of competing regions to date.
MOONTON Games today announced the slot allocation for the EWC x MSC 2025, which will return in July 2025.
This year's edition will see Japan and Vietnam each securing their own dedicated Wild Card slots, further expanding the tournament's competitive landscape and global reach.
Japan returns to the MLBB esports world stage, Vietnam makes Wild Card debut
The EWC x MSC 2025 Wild Card will see Japan return to the international MLBB esports stage for the first time since the M2 World Championship in 2020.
Meanwhile, Vietnam will make its Wild Card debut—the first time since the format was introduced in international MLBB tournaments last year.
The Wild Card brings eight additional teams into the race for the EWC x MSC 2025 Main Stage. This format expansion has paved the way for more regions to make their mark at the world's largest multi-title esports event.
According to Esports Charts, the EWC x MSC 2024 Wild Card hit 373,543 Peak Concurrent Viewers (PCV), the highest for any international MLBB tournament.
The EWC x MSC 2025 Main Stage
The EWC x MSC 2025 Main Stage will feature 16 international teams—including the eventual Wild Card winner—vie for the championship title. With the new Wild Card regions, this edition is set to be the most competitive and regionally diverse in the tournament's history!
In 2024, the MSC was rebranded (from the MLBB Southeast Asia Cup) to reflect MOONTON Games' vision of fostering global inclusivity in esports.
This saw the tournament's expansion beyond Southeast Asia, with Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, serving as its host city. The EWC x MSC 2024 was a tremendous success, achieving the EWC 2024's highest viewership with 2.38 million PCV and over 29 million Hours Watched (HW), according to Esports Charts.
Mike Chu, Head of Regional Esports at MOONTON Games, said: "The addition of new regions in EWC x MSC 2025 highlights our commitment to fostering an inclusive MLBB esports ecosystem. By enhancing the tournament's global reach, we are providing a platform for esports talent from around the world to compete at the highest level. This expansion not only increases the competitive level on display, it also celebrates the diverse passion that drives the MLBB esports community. We're excited to team up with the EWC for its second edition—to showcase how two esports giants celebrate spirted competition together."
The EWC x MSC 2024 saw the Selangor Red Giants emerge as champions and take home Malaysia's first-ever MLBB world championship title, alongside the lion's share of the USD 3,000,000 prize pool.
According to Esports Charts, MLBB was 2024's most-watched mobile esports title, with over 475 million HW across all international, local, and official third-party tournaments.