With one Philippine contender already out of the race, Team Falcons PH made sure the country’s campaign at the 2026 MLBB Mid-Season Cup would continue.
Facing elimination in the lower bracket, the MPL Philippines squad delivered when it mattered most, sweeping Team Falcons MENA, 2-0, on Sunday in Paris, France, to book the country’s lone spot in the knockout stage and keep its championship aspirations alive.
The victory came just hours after defending champion Team Liquid PH suffered a stunning early exit, leaving Team Falcons PH with the responsibility of carrying the Philippine banner for the remainder of the tournament.
A familiar face played a pivotal role in the turnaround. Returning to the international stage for the first time since representing Blacklist International at the M4 World Championship in 2024, Mildaner Salic “Hadji” Imam wasted no time making his presence felt.
Piloting Selena in Game 1, Hadji orchestrated an explosive 3-0 start that gave Team Falcons PH early momentum and dictated the pace of the match.
Despite the fast opening, the Filipinos remained disciplined throughout the contest, methodically controlling objectives before jungler Michael “Kyle” Sayson secured an uncontested Lord in the 16th minute. The crucial objective cracked open Team Falcons MENA’s defenses and paved the way for Team Falcons PH to take the opening game.
Kyle once again rose to the occasion in Game 2. Using Hirara, the jungler claimed another game-changing Lord before the 14-minute mark before taking over the decisive clash.
Kyle wiped out Team Falcons MENA almost single-handedly, completing a Maniac to seal the sweep and punch Team Falcons PH’s ticket to the playoffs.
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Esports World Cup 2026 – Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup | Match Result – 26 July 2026
Team Falcons PH 2
️ 0 Team Falcons MENA
: EWC | MOONTON#MLBBEsports #TwoChampionsOneGame #MobileLegendsBangBang #MSCatEWC26 #khrinfo #khrinfogg pic.twitter.com/3vc5JdpTes
— Esports • Khri Infotainment (@khrinfo_gg) July 26, 2026
The victory sets up an immediate opportunity for revenge. Team Falcons PH will face Indonesian powerhouse Team Vitality in the knockout quarterfinals after previously falling 2-0 to the MPL Indonesia Season 17 champions in the upper bracket semifinals—a defeat that sent the Filipinos into the lower bracket in the first place.
The remaining quarterfinal pairings feature Aurora Turkiye against Onic Indonesia, while Team Vamos battles Team Spirit and Pro Esports squares off with Yangon Galacticos.
While Team Falcons PH celebrated survival, the tournament came to a disappointing end for Team Liquid PH.
The reigning champions were eliminated after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Peru’s Entity 7 on Sunday, marking the earliest exit ever by a Philippine representative since the competition began as the MLBB Southeast Asia Cup in 2017.
Team Liquid PH looked poised to force a deciding game after controlling the early stages, but momentum shifted dramatically following a seventh-minute midlane skirmish where Karl “Karltzy” Nepomuceno’s Hirara and Jaypee “Jaypee” Dela Cruz’s Hilda were picked off.
Entity 7 capitalized on the opening and never looked back. Another double kill involving Jaypee and Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya’s Barats widened the gap before the Peruvian squad closed out the deciding game with a 12-8 victory to eliminate the defending champions.
The result consigned Team Liquid PH to a 13th-16th place finish—the worst performance by any Philippine team in either of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s two S-tier international tournaments.
That disappointing campaign has now placed even greater importance on Team Falcons PH, which enters the playoffs as the country’s last hope of reclaiming the MSC crown.
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