The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Women’s Invitational (MWI) will return to the 2025 Esports World Cup (EWC) with a new format and a $500,000 prize pool. The event will run from July 15 to 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
MWI will feature 16 teams, up from 12 in the previous edition, that qualified from a pool of competitors across 57 regions. The tournament will showcase top female talent in MLBB as part of EWC’s ongoing efforts to include more women in esports.
“Fostering the charge for women’s esports means continuously pushing boundaries,” said Ray Ng, head of Esports Ecosystem at Moonton Games.
This year’s MWI will adopt a format similar to the MLBB Mid-Season Cup. The Group Stage will follow a Best-of-Three (BO3), double-elimination format, replacing last year’s Best-of-Two (BO2). The top two teams from each group will advance to the Knockout Stage, which will also follow a BO3, single-elimination format.
A Best-of-Five (BO5) third-place match has been added, allowing teams a final shot at the podium. The Grand Finals will be a Best-of-Seven (BO7) match.
The tournament winner will receive $150,000. The rest of the prize pool will be shared among the other participating teams.
MWI made its debut at the first Esports World Cup and was the only women’s tournament in the event. That edition also marked the first time MWI featured teams from outside Southeast Asia. According to Esports Charts, it drew more than 2.5 million hours watched.
This year’s expanded format and larger team pool aim to continue that growth and offer a wider platform for women in esports.
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