M5 MLBB World Championship: All qualified teams, schedule, prize pool, and more 

The annual flagship event of the Mobile Legends Bang Bang (MLBB) esports 2023, the M5 World Championship, is planned to be held from November 23 to December 17. This prestigious event of the MOBA title will feature a total prize money of $900,000. The fifth edition will consist of a total of 22 teams, including eight wildcards, and will have a different format compared to the previous championship.

Moonton, the contest's oraganizer, has introduced the wildcard phase for the first time in the World Championship, which will help the game expand its audience and boost its esports scene. This edition will also see a little bit increment in its prize pool from $800k to $900k.

The Wildcard will occur from November 23 to 26, during which eight rosters will contest for the two spots in the main event. The Group Stage, scheduled for December 2 to 7, will have a total of 16 teams, 14 of which will be from different regional events.

The best four squads will be picked up for the Knockout Stage, planned for December 9 to 16, 2023. The Championship Finale will be held on December 17.

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MLBB M5 World Championship qualified teams

Here are the 14 teams that have directly made it to the MLBB M5 World Championship Group Stage from their regional tournaments:

1. AP Bren (Philippines)
2. Blacklist International (Philippines)
3. Geek Fam ID (Indonesia)
4. ONIC Esports (Indonesia)
5. RRQ Akira (LATAM)
6. Bigetron Sons (LATAM)
7. HomeBois (Malaysia)
8. Team Flash (Singapore)
9. See You Soon (Cambodia)
10. Triple Esports (MENA)
11. Fire Flux Esports (Turkey)
12. Deus Vult (CIS)
13. TheOhioBrothers (North America)
14. Burmese Ghouls (Myanmar)

Wildcard

These eight MLBB squads mentioned below will compete in the Wildcard Stage for the two Group Stage's slots:

1. Team SMG (Malaysia)
2. Imperio (LATAM)
3. Umbrella Squad (CIS)
4. 4Merical Esports (Nepal)
5. Nightmare Esports (Laos)
6. Team Lilgun (Mongolia)
7. Team Falcons (MENA)
8. KeepBest Gaming (China)

The Wildcard Stage will be hosted at the Jio Space in Malaysia, while the Group Stage and Knockout will be played in the Philippines. After witnessing Filipino teams dominate several global MLBB events, Moonton is now hosting the M5 World Championship in the country.

Meanwhile, M4 champions ECHO Esports could not gain a place in this upcoming event as the Filipino club stumbled in the recently concluded MPL Philippines Season 12's crucial games. Their two counterparts Bren and Blacklist International have acquired a seat in the Group Stage, and are some of the strongest contenders for the trophy.