Filipino gamers get boot in MSC semis
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino Mobile Legends stars fell just short of reaching the grand finals of the MLBB Mid-Season Cup (MSC) 2026 after Team Falcons PH and ONIC Indonesia bowed out in the semifinals in Paris.
Team Falcons, the last MPL Philippines representative standing in the tournament, first kept its title hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over Team Vitality in the quarterfinals.
The Filipinos avenged their earlier group-stage loss to the Indonesian champions behind key performances from Salic "Hadji" Imam and Marco "Super Marco" Requitiano, booking a semifinal showdown with Myanmar's Yangon Galacticos.
However, Falcons' run ended one step short of the grand finals.
After falling behind 0-2 in the series, Team Falcons staged a spirited comeback by taking Games 3 and 4 to force a winner-take-all Game 5. The Filipinos were poised to complete the reverse sweep before Yangon Galacticos mounted a late turnaround, with Myo Myint "Kaize" Ko Ko Kyaw delivering a decisive Maniac to seal the 3-2 victory.
Meanwhile, Filipino imports Kairi "Kairi" Rayosdelsol and Duane "Kelra" Pillas also saw their championship bid with ONIC Indonesia come to an end in the other semifinal bracket.
ONIC Indonesia stunned tournament favorite Aurora Turkiye in the quarterfinals, 3-2, to reach the Final Four. But the Indonesian powerhouse could not replicate that performance against European champion Team Spirit, which completed a commanding 3-0 sweep to secure a spot in the grand finals.
The semifinal exits marked the first time since 2019 that no Philippine team will compete in the grand finals of either of Mobile Legends' two premier international tournaments, MSC and the M-Series.
There will still be Filipino representation in the championship series, however.
Yangon Galacticos is coached by Filipino strategist Mark "Marvz" Luz, who guided the Myanmar squad to a historic breakthrough as it reached its first MLBB international grand final in five years. Myanmar's last appearance on the biggest stage came in 2021, when Burmese Ghouls finished runner-up to Bren Esports at the M2 World Championship.
Marvz and Yangon Galacticos will look to complete their fairy-tale run when they face Team Spirit in the MSC 2026 Grand Final on Sunday at 8 p.m. (Manila time).
Before that, Team Falcons and ONIC Indonesia will battle for third place at 5 p.m., with Filipino stars on both sides aiming to end their MSC campaigns on the podium.
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