MLBB M5 World Championship 2023 Group Stage: Teams, format, dates, and more

The Group Stage of the MLBB M5 World Championship 2023 is set to occur from December 2 to 7 next month, during which 16 teams from across the world will fight for the eight slots in the Knockout. The fifth edition of the prestigious championship has a whopping $900,000 prize pool—a substantial increase of $100,000 over the previous edition.

During the six-day Group Stage, there will be four groups comprising four teams each. These groups will collide with one another in a Single Round Robin format, with eight teams (the top two from each group) claiming spots in the Knockout round. 14 out of the 16 participants have been determined through regional competitions, with the remaining two securing their spots in the Group Stage as the top performers among the Wildcards.

From December 9 to 17, the Knockout will be conducted in a Double Elimination Bracket. Apart from the Grand Final (Bo7), all the battles in this round will be played in Bo3 (Best of Three). The M5 winners will be awarded $300,000 in prize money, while the runner-up will grab $120,000.

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MLBB M5 World Championship Group Stage teams

Group A

1. Bigetron Sons
2. ONIC Esports
3. See You Soon
4. Triple Esports

Group B

1. Blacklist International
2. Fire Flux Esports
3. RRQ Akira
4. Team SMG

Group C

1. AP. Bren
2. Burmese Ghouls
3. Team Flash
4. Team Lilgun

Group D

1. Deus Vult
2. Geek Fam ID
3. HomeBois
4. TheOhioBrothers

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Top teams to watch out for

AP Bren and Blacklist International were the top performers in the MPL Philippines Season 12, and both have claimed spots in the upcoming championship. On the other hand, reigning world champions ECHO struggled in the MPL Philippines Season 12 and couldn’t secure a spot in the M5. ECHO had won the last three editions of this flagship tournament.

In the MPL Indonesia Season 12, ONIC and Geek Fam ranked first and second, respectively. Both teams will now represent their nation in the MLBB Championship. ONIC Esports has been spectacular this year so far and is one of the leading contenders for the coveted trophy.

RRQ Akira and Bigetron secured the first and second spots in the MLBB Liga Latam 2023. These Brazilian teams will be hoping to provide tough competition to the South East Asian teams and achieve a respectable ranking.

HomeBois emerged victorious in the MPL Malaysia S12, while Team Flash was victorious in the MPL Singapore Season 6. Team SMG from Malaysia has also made it to the Group Stage through the recently concluded Wildcard phase. These three squads could also surprise everyone in the MLBB championship.