Team Philippines, also known as SIBOL Mobile Legends: Bang Bang team, won the gold medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. SIBOL MLBB beat Team Indonesia in a best-of-five (BO5) series, ending the match with a 3-1 score.
SIBOL won gold in the 30th SEA Games held in the Philippines in 2019 when esports was introduced as a medal sport.
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The SIBOL MLBB lineup is composed of veteran players from Blacklist International, including Johnmar “PHI VILLALUNA” Villaluna as team captain, together with Danerie “PHI DEL ROSARIO” Del Rosario, Salic “Hadji” Imam, and Dexter “PHI ALABA” Alaba. Amateur players Kyle “PHI SOTO” Soto, Howard “PHI GONZALES” Gonzales, and Russel “PHI USI” Usi, who have never competed in any Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional Leagues or tournaments, were part of the winning roster.
According to Esports Charts, the 31st SEA Games MLBB tournament reached a new peak-concurrent viewership of 2.2 million with an average of 610,000 viewers.
In 2019, the Philippines and Indonesia were also the finalists during the 30th SEA Games Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, with the Philippines hailed as the champions with a 3:2 match score.