After the runner-up finish by the Philippine team Falcons APBren in the men’s battle, it’s time to shine for the women esports athletes as the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) Women’s Invitational (MWI) 2024 officially announced the Group Stage schedule for the upcoming biggest MLBB esports tournament for women.
Held with the maiden Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, MWI 2024 gathers 12 international teams to showcase their gaming prowess to the world, starting 24 July, at 12:00 (GMT+3) or 17:00 (GMT+8).
The tournament will provide female players with the platform to claim the title of the best all-women MLBB team and offers a life-changing prize pool of USD 500,000 – one of the highest-ever in women’s esports history.
The opener will feature Indonesia’s Team Falcons Vega (FLCV) and Cambodia’s CFUSerendipity (CFU).
FLCV (formerly GPX Basreng) is considered the biggest threat to Team Vitality (VIT), the team that is currently dominating the scene. Being the second-best team in Indonesia, FLCV is arguably the hungriest team to snatch the title this year.
Their prolific roster will have a faceo ff with CFU to be fielded by its promising players, including its jungler Rin “Tegami” Chanthana, popular for her fatal Lancelot.
The team is not to be underestimated as they are known to bounce back from adversity, as seen in their qualifiers match, where they successfully reached the grand finals of the Cambodia qualifier from the lower bracket and bested 20 Khmer teams.
On 25 July, Team Falcons MENA (FLCN) will duke it out against Victory Song Gamers (VSG) of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA). FLCN, the home team and the brightest star in the Middle East, will be looking to spread their wings against VSG to make a name for themselves globally. On the other hand, Russian powerhouse VSG looks to take the competition by storm through its new lineup, which includes imports from the Philippines.
A much-anticipated match in the Land of Dawn will be the possible face-off between Indonesia’s Team Vitality (VIT) and the Philippines Smart Omega Empress (OMGE), both of whom are tournament favourites and expected to dominate their respective groups.
VIT, formerly Bigetron Era (BTR), has an award-winning roster that includes Southeast Asia (SEA) Games MLBB Gold Medalist, Vivian “Vivi” Indrawaty, dubbed as the “Indonesian Mother of Tanks.” After winning the first two iterations of MWI as BTR, they are the most favorite team to clinch the title this year.
Vivi and the team will face long-term rival Smart Omega Empress (OMGE), led by its roamer, Mery Christine “Meraaay” Vivero, whose main goal is to take revenge on the Indonesian powerhouse after losing to them in the last SEA Games 2023.
The top two teams of each group will proceed to the Playoffs Stage, starting on 26 July. The team from each group with the lowest points will end their tournament journey.
The first day of the Playoffs Stage will be in a single elimination Best-of-Three (BO3) format. On the other hand, the second day, or on July 27, will be in a single-elimination BO5 match series.
