Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is turning up the heat in women’s esports as the Women’s Invitational (MWI) 2025 returns from 15 to 19 July at the Esports World Cup (EWC). This year, MWI will feature its biggest tournament yet, spotlighting 16 top-tier women’s teams competing for one of the largest prize pools in women’s esports history at USD 500,000.

This edition will showcase a revamped tournament format, modeled after the MLBB Mid Season Cup (MSC), heightening the stakes and ensuring more intense matchups.

A Tournament Redefined: New Format & Global Reach

The 2025 MWI introduces a Best-of-Three (BO3), double-elimination Group Stage format, replacing the former BO2 style. This change pushes teams to deliver more consistent and strategic performances. The top two teams from each of the four groups will proceed to a BO3, single-elimination Knockout Stage, which will include a new BO5 third-place match and culminate in a BO7 Grand Finals.

This year’s edition will also see participation from new regions including Africa, Mongolia, and Türkiye, after qualifiers were held across a record-breaking 57 regions, underscoring MWI’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity and global representation in women’s esports.

Participating Teams

Among the 16 qualified teams from Mobile Legends Professional Leagues (MPL) around the world, several powerhouses stand out:

• Team Vitality (Indonesia): A dominant force in women’s MLBB, led by star players Michelle “Chell” Siswanto and Cindy “Cinny” Siswanto, recently featured in Amazon Prime’s Level Up documentary.
• Natus Vincere PH (formerly Smart Omega Empress): The 2024 MWI champions, who ended Vitality’s 3-year, 24-match win streak with a decisive 3-0 victory.

Driving the Future of Women’s Esports

These elite squads and others will battle it out for a share of the USD 500,000 prize pool. The champions will claim the top prize of USD 150,000, while the remainder will be distributed among the rest of the participating teams. This robust prize structure reflects the tournament’s dedication to rewarding excellence and supporting the growth of female esports athletes.

With its continued support and innovation, MWI remains a beacon for progress and opportunity in women’s competitive gaming. In 2024, MWI achieved record viewership with over 2.5 million Hours Watched according to Esports Charts, and was the only women’s event at the inaugural EWC.

“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.”

Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystem at MOONTON Games.

“One Game, Two Champions”

In 2025, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) makes a powerful return to the Esports World Cup (EWC), featuring both the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) and the Mid Season Cup (MSC)—a true reflection of MOONTON’s vision to crown two champions in a single title. Maintaining its reign over the esports landscape, MLBB was named the most-viewed mobile esports title of 2024, while the MLBB Professional League (MPL) broke records as the first esports league to exceed 1 billion hours watched.

MOONTON remains committed to elevating women’s esports, having supported major events such as MWI 2024, the Asian Esports Games (AEG) 2024, and the IESF World Esports Championship (WEC) 2024. This momentum carries forward with MWI’s inclusion at EWC 2025 and its upcoming showcase at the 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 a leading mobile MOBA game with over 1.5 billion installations and 110 million active monthly users. It ranks among the top 10 most-played games in over 80 countries and continues to unite players through strategy and teamwork.

About MLBB Esports

Launched in 2017, MLBB Esports empowers players to pursue professional gaming careers. It includes multiple regional leagues and was the first esports series to surpass 1 billion hours watched globally.

About MOONTON Games

Founded in 2014, MOONTON Games is a global video game developer and publisher. With over 1,600 employees worldwide, it has built partnerships with governments and esports organizations in over 30 countries.

For more information, visit their official website.