The M8 World Championship is set to make Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports history by spanning two continents for the first time – MOONTON Games has confirmed that the championship will begin with a Wild Card stage in Bangkok, Thailand, before the Main Stage heads to Istanbul, Türkiye, in January 2027, marking the M Series’ first-ever European destination. Teams from 23 qualifying leagues and tournaments are now competing for the newly introduced M8 Golden Tickets, which serve as passage to the Istanbul Main Stage.
M8 World Championship Tournament Format
The tournament opens with a Wild Card stage in Bangkok, where a record 10 teams will compete for three Main Stage spots; this is an expansion from the eight teams that competed for two spots at the M7 World Championship. In Phase 1, the 10 teams are split into two groups of five, playing a single round-robin Best-of-One format. The top team from each group advances directly to the Main Stage, while the second- and third-placed teams proceed to Phase 2.
Phase 2 is a cross-group, Best-of-Five single-elimination bracket for the remaining Main Stage spot. Teams earning qualification to the Main Stage will receive an M8 Golden Ticket, inspired by a ship’s boarding pass, symbolizing their berth in Istanbul.
Direct qualifiers for the Istanbul Main Stage include the top two teams from MCT Southeast Asia, the champions of MCT East Asia, and the MCT Americas champions. The 16-team Main Stage field will open with a Swiss Stage across five rounds, where teams need three wins to advance and three losses to be eliminated. The top eight teams then enter a double-elimination Knockout Stage, beginning with Best-of-Three matches before progressing to Best-of-Five, and culminating in a Best-of-Seven Grand Finals.
Venues, Tickets & Grand Finals At Ora Arena
The Knockout Stage will be held at ESA Espor Arena in Istanbul from 14 to 19 January 2027. Tickets start from ₺150 (US$3), with early-bird sales running from 24 October to 21 November 2026. Visa cardholders will receive an exclusive 20% discount on early-bird purchases, following Visa’s three-year global partnership extension with MOONTON Games for the M Series.
The Grand Finals will take place at Ora Arena on 23 January 2027, where the M Series will crown its world champions on European soil for the first time. For the Grand Finals, MOONTON Games is introducing Gen-M, an initiative offering eligible fans priority access to ticket sales. Registration for Gen-M Verification opens from 7 to 12 November, with exclusive early-bird ticket sales from 18 to 21 November.
Grand Finals ticket tiers include the Epic Match Pass, Legend Match Pass, Mythic Match Pass, and the M-Circle Pass, which makes its debut at M8. M-Circle is the highest tier of M Series hospitality, offering VIP seating, backstage access, premium food and beverages, a personal welcome, priority venue entry, and an M8 limited-edition gift along with a Dragon Shard. Further details on M-Circle will be available on 1 November.
Pokdepinion: A big milestone for an esports that historically calls SEA its home.
