MLBB Women’s Invitational Returns to 2025 Esports World Cup With A Bigger Prize Pool and Format

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Women’s Invitational (MWI) is back in full force for 2025, debuting a revamped competitive format and a USD 500,000 prize pool at the Esports World Cup (EWC)—the world’s largest multi-title esports event. Running from 15 to 19 July 2025, the tournament will spotlight 16 elite teams from across the globe, marking the event’s most inclusive edition to date.

A New Era for Women’s Esports

This year’s MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) tournament ushers in a more competitive and strategic gameplay format, modeled after the MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC). For the first time, the tournament will host 16 teams, up from 12 in the previous edition, and will adopt a Best-of-Three (BO3), double-elimination group stage, replacing the older BO2 structure. The Knockout Stage will also follow a BO3, single-elimination format, and will feature a BO5 third-place match—a brand-new addition—before concluding with a BO7 Grand Finals.

These changes are designed to push strategic depth and consistency, aligning MWI more closely with the intensity of high-level global esports.

Historic Global Representation

Over 57 regions took part in the qualifying stages, setting a new participation record. For the first time, teams from Africa, Mongolia, and Türkiye will compete in the MWI—underscoring the tournament’s mission of promoting diversity and global representation.

Among the qualified teams are heavyweights like Indonesia’s Team Vitality, led by stars Michelle “Chell” Siswanto and Cindy “Cinny” Siswanto, who were recently featured in Amazon Prime’s Level Up. Another notable contender is Natus Vincere PH (formerly Smart Omega Empress), the reigning MWI 2024 champions, who broke Team Vitality’s three-year winning streak with a commanding 3-0 victory last year.

Investing in Women’s Competitive Growth

With its USD 500,000 prize pool, MWI 2025 remains one of the most lucrative tournaments in women’s esports. The champions will take home USD 150,000, with the remainder of the prize distributed among the other teams.

This continued investment reflects MOONTON Games’ commitment to creating sustainable opportunities for female esports athletes. The previous MWI already made history as the only women’s tournament at the inaugural EWC, attracting over 2.5 million Hours Watched according to Esports Charts.

“Fostering the charge for women’s esports means continuously pushing boundaries. This year, with more participating regions, the addition of new teams, and a new format, MWI at EWC 25 demonstrates how MOONTON Games stays at the forefront of championing women’s esports by partnering with the Esports World Cup Foundation.”

Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games

One Game, Two Champions

In 2025, MLBB returns to EWC with both the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) and the Mid Season Cup (MSC), bringing to life MOONTON’s “One Game, Two Champions” vision. The game continues to dominate the scene, having been recognized as the most-watched mobile esports title of 2024, while its MLBB Professional League (MPL) became the first esports circuit to surpass 1 billion Hours Watched.

MOONTON has consistently fueled the growth of women’s esports through tournaments like MWI 2024, the Asian Esports Games (AEG) 2024, and the IESF World Esports Championship (WEC) 2024. This momentum continues with MWI at EWC 25 and the upcoming 33rd Southeast Asian Games.

For more information and updates, you can follow MLBB Esports via the following social media channels.

About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is one of the world’s most popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games, boasting over 1.5 billion downloads and 110 million monthly active users. The game emphasizes teamwork, strategy, and global community building across 139 countries.

About Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Esports

Launched in 2017, MLBB Esports offers players a chance to pursue professional careers in the competitive gaming industry. The MPL series spans Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, and is the first esports event series to reach 1 billion Hours Watched globally.

About MOONTON Games

Founded in 2014, MOONTON Games is a global gaming company focused on game development, publishing, and esports. Headquartered across six international offices and with over 1,600 employees, MOONTON partners with governments and esports organizations in over 30 countries.

For more information on MOONTON, visit their official website.