Team Spirit Emerges Victorious In Closely Contested Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup at Esports World Cup 2026 Grand Final

PARIS, France (August 1, 2026) -- After nine days of fierce competition, Team Spirit have claimed a regional first after winning the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup at Esports World Cup 2026. Their victory against Burmese team Yangon Galacticos in the Grand Final marks the first time a team from the Eastern European and Central Asia region has won the MLBB Mid Season Cup.

Competitive Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is typically dominated by Southeast Asian teams, with Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines often taking the top spots. Team Liquid PH took the Mid Season Cup in 2025, and Aurora Gaming PH won the M7 World Championship earlier this year. Team Spirit's victory here marks a huge moment for the EECA region, and after years of the team grinding, it marks a shift in the competitive MLBB landscape.

With a prize pool of over $3,000,000 on the line, Team Spirit had a hard road ahead of them after being sent to the lower brackets by Team Vamos during the group stage. A victory against Guangzhou Gaming, however, secured their path into the Knockout Stage where they pulled off a flawless run through to the Grand final.

Both Team Spirit and Yangon Galacticos were in uncharted territory, with neither having made it to the finals of a Mid Season Cup before, and this marking the first grand finals for Myanmar in five years. The best of seven series kicked off with a bang, as Team Spirit secured game one, but a strong pushback from Yangon Galacticos set the tone for what was to come. The Burmese team clawed back some ground in game two, showing dominance early in the match and eventually leveled the score.

Team Spirit pushed forward, claiming game three and game four, leading the series 3-1 and sitting on match point. But Yangon Galacticos held on, and started a huge comeback, taking two games in quick succession to force a final game seven. The final game did not reflect the closeness of the series however, with Team Spirit putting on a dominating performance that lasted just over 10 minutes.

Following his team's victory, Kemiran "Sunset Lover" Kochkarov said, “That was hard work, and the result of hard work.” Zaur "zauregoist" Magomadov was asked what he wants to achieve next in MLBB, replying, “It’s very hard to say. Of course, we’ll keep working. I want to win more, like the M-Series. I want to say thanks to my family, especially to my mom because she always supports me. And thank you to all my haters! Welcome to Team Spirit!"

Team Spirit's Mathaios "Kid Bomba" Chatzilakos was awarded the Sony Finals MVP award for his performance throughout the tournament. "I don't think I did more than them, if anything, they did more than me, so I'm so grateful for this award. I don't know how I can win it after I play 0/7 on Phoveus, but thank you," he said after being given the award.

For their win, Team Spirit landed a $1,000,000 share of the prize pool, and 1,000 Club Championship points. With the club’s participation in Chess to be determined, and Counter-Strike 2 still to come, Team Spirit’s final Club Championship placement hangs in the balance, though this victory moved them up to seventh. For second place, Yangon Galacticos walk away with $500,000 and 750 Club points.

Ahead of the grand finals, ONIC took on Team Falcons PH in the battle for third place. The best-of-five was over in a flash, as ONIC swept through the Filipino team with ease to secure a 3-0 finish. Aggressive plays from ONIC’s Kairi “Kairi” Ygnacio Rayosdelsol kept the Indonesian Club in a strong lead throughout, and after sealing a decisive game three, ONIC locked in third place in under 50 minutes of total game time. They take home a $250,000 share of the prize pool.

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The Esports World Cup (EWC) is a premier annual sporting event and global celebration of competitive excellence and esports fandom. The competition features a unique cross-game format that pits the world's top esports Clubs against one another for the largest prize pool in esports history. Hosted in Paris, France, in the summer of 2026, the EWC will bring gaming and esports communities together again to crown the next Esports World Cup Club Champion. esportsworldcup.com

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