M7 World Championship preview: format, schedule, teams to watch

After a year-long absence due to the 2025 SEA Games, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s crowning event, the M7 World Championship, is set to kick off on January 3rd.

Running until January 25th, the seventh edition of the tournament will feature 22 of the best Mobile Legends: Bang Bang teams from across the globe battling it out for its $1m (~£744,270) prize pool.

M7 is guaranteed to crown a new winner, as defending champion ONIC Philippines failed to qualify for the event.

Before the action begins, here’s a complete breakdown of the tournament’s structure, participating teams, and opening matches.

Out of the 22 squads competing at M7, eight will begin their journey in the Wildcard Stage, with the remaining 14 entering directly into the Main Event. This year, Japan will make its return to the World Championship for the first time since its last appearance at M2. Meanwhile, no North American representative will be featured in either stage of the event.

Here is the list of teams qualified for the M7 World Championship:

The Wildcard Stage will take place from January 3rd to 6th, beginning with a Group Stage. Teams will be divided into two groups of four, and will battle in a single round-robin format, with all matches played as best-of-three series. 

The top two teams from each group will advance to the Decider Stage, where best-of-five matches will determine the two squads that qualify for the Main Event.

The Main Event will consist of two stages – the Swiss Stage, running from January 10th to 17th, followed by the Knockout Stage from January 18th to 25th. Swiss Stage will pit 16 teams (14 directly qualified and two from the Wildcard) against each other, with opening matchups decided with the help of a random draw.

From there, eight teams will progress to the Knockout Stage featuring a double-elimination bracket. All series will be best-of-five, except for the first round of the upper bracket, which will be played as best-of-three. In addition to this, the Grand Final will be a best-of-seven showdown to crown the M7 World Champion.

Fresh off its MLBB Mid Season Cup 2025 victory, Team Liquid PH will be looking to deliver a dominant performance at M7. The Filipino powerhouse also carries a strong momentum after securing back-to-back titles at MPL Philippines Season 15 and 16. 

Selangor Red Giants OG Esports finished third at M6, and with both the winner and runner-up, ONIC Philippines and Team Liquid ID, absent from the tournament, M7 is a great opportunity for the Malaysian squad to lift its first M World Championship trophy. 

ONIC was just one win away from securing the M5 title in 2023. Since then, it has occasionally struggled on the international stage, despite excelling in regional tournaments. In 2025, the team secured victories at MPL Indonesia Season 15 and 16, but could only manage a top-four finish at MSC.

That said, the team is still one of the top contenders for the M7 title, especially coming off its Games of the Future 2025 win.

Fans can head to MPL Arena XO Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia, to witness the Wildcard, Swiss Stage, and Day 1 of the Knockout Stage. The rest of the Main Event, including the Grand Final, will take place at the Tennis Indoor Stadium Senayan.