MLBB Women’s Invitational to feature 16 teams at EWC 2025

The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Women’s Invitational at the upcoming 2025 Esports World Cup has officially confirmed it will expand to 16 teams, adding four teams compared to the previous edition.

MLBB Women’s Invitational to expand to 16 teams

The game publisher MOONTON Games has unveiled the new slot allocation for the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) earlier today, announcing the largest lineup ever, with newcomer regions including Africa, Mongolia, and Türkiye. Taking place at the Esports World Cup 2025 on July 15-19, the MWI will become one of the biggest female competitions in esports history and shine the spotlight on women’s esports.

With a total prize pool of $500,000, the number of qualifying regions will expand from 46 to 57, as MOONTON looks to further expand the tournament’s reach and the publisher’s goal to create a more inclusive system.

Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games, commented on the announcement: “At MOONTON Games, we believe that everyone has a place in esports. MWI at EWC 25 is our way of making sure women are seen, heard, and celebrated. The tournament serves as a platform for women to shine at the highest level and opens the door to esports as a viable career path. As we expand the tournament’s reach, we’re amplifying the voices of women worldwide. This is how we empower women esports athletes—by advancing the women’s ecosystem and breaking down barriers.”

MOONTON has showcased its commitment to inclusivity with several women-focused tournaments. On top of the MWI 2024, the company also hosted competitions at the Asian Esports Games (AEG) 2024, and the IESF World Esports Championship (WEC) 2024, allowing athletes to compete at the top-tier competitions and gain recognition on the international stage. Aside from the EWC, there will also be the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, set to take place later this year in Chonburi, Thailand.

The 2025 MWI Women’s Invitational Explained

The 2024 Esports World Cup already saw MWI featured as a competition, with the Filipino team Smart Omega Empress taking the win over Team Vitality in the final to crown themselves champions. The Filipino squad was acquired by European esports organization Natus Vincere earlier today, as they will be competing under the NAVI banner in the upcoming 2025 EWC.

The qualified teams for the 2025 MWI are as follows:

• Top 2 from the BOG S1 (Indonesia championship)
• Top 2 from the Athena League (Filipino championship)
• Top 1 from:
  • Queen Legends S1 (CFU Serendipity)
  • Lady MVP S7
  • MYSG Qualifier (Natus Vincere MY)
  • ESN MWI Qualifer
  • Africa Cup (Falcons Vega Mena)
  • LATAM Qualifier (DreamMax Girls)
  • Mekong Qualifier
  • Turkiye Qualifier
  • North America Qualifier
  • Middle East Qualifier
  • China Qualifier
  • Myanmar Qualifier

While the prize pool is slightly lower compared to the 2024 edition, the tournament will still play a key role in the Esports World Cup Club Championship, which puts over $27 million in prize money on the line for the best-performing esports organizations.

With esports teams expecting to compete across several titles to gain access to the extra financial incentives of the EWC Partner programme, there will be increasing interest in the MWI in the years to come.