MPL MY Season Sponsors: Season 18 Teams, Format and Dates
MPL Malaysia's second Partnership Programme season brings eight fixed teams, a CelcomDigi-led sponsor line-up and playoffs at Stadium Juara from 28 October to 1 November 2026.
MPL Malaysia Season 18 is the second season under Moonton's four-year Partnership Programme, with eight partner teams. The regular season ran from 14 August to 18 October 2026, and the playoffs are at Stadium Juara from 28 October to 1 November. CelcomDigi presents the league, with Infinix, Grab, Yamaha, Chery and AXE among its partners.
Key facts
- Season 18 carries the theme "8 Cerita" (Eight Stories). Its regular season ran from 14 August to 18 October 2026 at the MPL MY Arena, Level 6, Quill City Mall Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
- The eight partner teams are Selangor Red Giants, Team Vamos, Team Rey, Rex Regum Qeon, Bigetron MY by VIT, All Combo, Invictus Gaming and Team Flash.
- The Partnership Programme was announced on 24 February 2026. It runs for four years, with an evaluation each year.
- CelcomDigi is presenting partner. Infinix is official sponsor, Grab Malaysia is official food delivery partner, TODAK is official partner and OBSBOT is official camera partner.
- Chery Malaysia, AXE and Joytify are first-time partners in Season 18.
- The top two teams go to the M8 World Championship in Istanbul, Türkiye.
- Selangor Red Giants won Season 17, beating Team Vamos 4-0 in the Grand Final for a fifth straight title.
What MPL MY is and why sponsors care
MPL MY is the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League Malaysia. Publisher Moonton Games runs it. When the eight partner teams were named in February 2026, Krystal Tan, Moonton's head of business development for Malaysia esports, described MPL Malaysia as "the largest and longest-running esports league in the country". The audience figures support the claim. For Season 17, Moonton cited Esports Charts data of 25.9 million hours watched and a peak of 740,146 concurrent viewers. A SAYS preview of Season 18 said nearly one in five Malaysians plays MLBB every month.
That reach, made up largely of young mobile-first viewers who are hard to reach on traditional TV, is why telcos, smartphone makers, carmakers, food delivery apps and personal-care brands now sit on the league's partner list.
The new format: from open league to Partnership Programme
Season 16, which started on 13 September 2025, was the last season under the old format, with ten teams. In September 2025, the NST reported that MPL MY would adopt an "enhanced franchise format" after Season 16, modelled on leagues such as the NFL and NBA but adapted to Malaysia's esports scene.
On 24 February 2026, Moonton named the eight core teams. Malay Mail reported that the partnership runs for four years, with yearly evaluations to maintain league standards. Three Malaysian organisations were retained from Season 16: Selangor Red Giants, Team Vamos and Team Rey. They were joined by Indonesia's Rex Regum Qeon and Bigetron MY by VIT, China's All Combo and Invictus Gaming, and Singapore's Team Flash.
For sponsors, the main effect of the change is predictability. A brand that backs a partner team knows the team will be in the league for the full term and cannot be relegated in the middle of a campaign. That makes multi-season deals easier to justify.
MPL MY Season 18 teams
| Team | Short name | Home market |
|---|---|---|
| Selangor Red Giants | SRG | Malaysia |
| Team Vamos | VMS | Malaysia |
| Team Rey | TR | Malaysia |
| Rex Regum Qeon | RRQ | Indonesia |
| Bigetron MY by VIT | BTRM | Indonesia |
| All Combo | AC | China |
| Invictus Gaming | iG | China |
| Team Flash | TF | Singapore |
Selangor Red Giants are the five-time MPL Malaysia champions and are chasing a sixth straight title. Team Vamos were Season 17 runners-up and, according to Priceshop's season preview, Malaysia's best performers at the 2026 MLBB Mid Season Cup at the Esports World Cup in Paris.
League partners and sponsors for Season 18
Moonton's Season 18 announcement, published on 11 August 2026, lists the league's commercial partners by tier:
| Tier | Partner(s) |
|---|---|
| Presenting Partner | CelcomDigi (Arena CelcomDigi; the CelcomDigi Dream Stage) |
| Official Sponsor | Infinix |
| Official Food Delivery Partner | Grab Malaysia |
| Official Partner | TODAK |
| Official Camera Partner | OBSBOT |
| First-time partners | Chery Malaysia, AXE, Joytify (formerly Lapakgaming) |
| Returning partners | Yamaha, Nando's, TNTCO, Quill City Mall, Media Prima, Tonton, Fairrie |
| Supporting bodies | Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS), Esports Integrated (ESI), Rakan Muda, Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) |
Several of these are multi-season commitments. When Season 16 launched, the NST reported that CelcomDigi had signed as Official League Presenter for Seasons 16 to 18, its first esports sponsorship. Infinix's deal also ran through Season 18, and Yamaha came in as Official Motorcycle Partner for Seasons 16 and 17, described as the brand's global esports debut. Yamaha is listed again for Season 18 as a returning partner. The NST also listed Grab Malaysia, 100PLUS, CeraVe, Fairrie and Playaz as returning sponsors in Season 16, which shows how much of the line-up carries over from season to season. Of those, Grab and Fairrie are still on the Season 18 list. In March 2026, the NST reported that Media Prima Berhad had joined as official media partner for Season 17. It is also listed as a returning partner for Season 18, alongside its streaming platform Tonton.
None of the partners or Moonton has published the value of any deal. The CelcomDigi presenting term covers Seasons 16 to 18, so Season 18 is its final contracted season under the terms reported in 2025. Any renewal for Season 19 had not been announced at the time of writing.
Prize money
Moonton's Season 18 announcement does not state a prize pool. Liquipedia lists a USD100,000 prize pool for each season from Season 7 to Season 17. The Season 18 figure was not confirmed by the organiser at the time of writing.
Season 18 dates, venue and playoffs format
The regular season ran over eight weeks, from 14 August to 18 October 2026, at the MPL MY Arena in Quill City Mall, Kuala Lumpur. The playoffs move to a bigger venue. The SAYS preview of 18 September 2026 reported that the Season 18 playoffs run for five days, from 28 October to 1 November, at Stadium Juara in Kuala Lumpur. The MPL Malaysia Festival runs alongside the matches, with food, entertainment and appearances by community figures, and the playoffs also mark MLBB's tenth anniversary.
According to the bracket published by fan tracker MLBBHub, six teams qualified: Selangor Red Giants (seed 1), Team Rey (2), Team Vamos (3), Invictus Gaming (4), Bigetron MY by VIT (5) and Team Flash (6). The top two seeds enter in round two. MLBBHub lists the schedule below, which matches the five-day window reported by SAYS. Fans should confirm times on MPL Malaysia's official channels.
| Date (2026) | Stage |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, 28 October | Upper bracket quarter-finals |
| Thursday, 29 October | Upper bracket semi-finals |
| Friday, 30 October | Lower bracket semi-final and upper bracket final |
| Saturday, 31 October | Lower bracket final (best of seven) |
| Sunday, 1 November | Grand Final (best of seven) |
The stakes are high. According to Moonton, the top two teams qualify for the M8 World Championship in Istanbul, Türkiye, the first M-Series world championship held in Europe. There is also a second route: the top team from the MLBB Academy League Malaysia (MAL MY) goes into the MLBB Championship Tour Southeast Asia, where it faces the best development-league sides from the Philippines and Indonesia for a place in the M8 knockout path.
Season 17 recap: the five-peat
Season 17, the first season of the Partnership Programme, ran from 3 April to 7 June 2026 in a two-round, home-and-away format. According to Moonton's recap of 9 June 2026, Selangor Red Giants beat Team Vamos 4-0 in the Grand Final at Stadium Juara. It was a fifth straight title, which Moonton called the first five-peat in MPL history in the region. The MPL Malaysia Festival drew more than 12,000 attendees over five days. EsportsCon presented the festival with ESI and KBS, and CelcomDigi presented the Dream Stage.
Esports Charts figures cited by Moonton put Season 17 at 25,875,943 hours watched, a peak of 740,146 concurrent viewers and an average of 148,713.
Government support around the league
Public funding sits alongside the league's commercial income. In July 2025, Bernama, via RTM, reported that the Ministry of Youth and Sports had allocated RM1 million to the Malaysia Esports Accelerator Programme. RM300,000 was for phase one and RM700,000 for phase two, with grants of RM5,000 to RM40,000 per recipient for international tournaments. SRG.OG was among the first nine recipients. KBS, ESI, Rakan Muda and MESF are all listed as supporting bodies for Season 18.
What brands can learn from MPL MY's sponsor mix
MPL MY's partner list shows the categories that pay to reach Malaysian mobile gamers. They include connectivity (CelcomDigi), devices (Infinix, OBSBOT), mobility (Yamaha, Chery), food (Grab, Nando's), personal care and lifestyle (AXE, Fairrie, TNTCO), and media (Media Prima, Tonton). Most are not gaming companies. The pattern points to the league's main commercial pitch: access to a young audience at scale, across a long season, with live events such as the Season 17 festival at Stadium Juara, which drew more than 12,000 attendees.
FAQ
When are the MPL MY Season 18 playoffs?
SAYS reported that the Season 18 playoffs run for five days, from 28 October to 1 November 2026, at Stadium Juara in Kuala Lumpur, alongside the MPL Malaysia Festival. The regular season ran from 14 August to 18 October 2026 at the MPL MY Arena in Quill City Mall. The Grand Final is listed for Sunday, 1 November, as a best-of-seven series.
Who sponsors MPL Malaysia Season 18?
Moonton lists CelcomDigi as presenting partner, Infinix as official sponsor, Grab Malaysia as food delivery partner, TODAK as official partner and OBSBOT as camera partner. First-time partners include Chery Malaysia, AXE and Joytify. Returning partners include Yamaha, Nando's, TNTCO, Quill City Mall, Media Prima, Tonton and Fairrie. No deal values have been published.
Which teams play in MPL MY Season 18?
Eight partner teams: Selangor Red Giants, Team Vamos, Team Rey, Rex Regum Qeon, Bigetron MY by VIT, All Combo, Invictus Gaming and Team Flash. They were confirmed on 24 February 2026 under a four-year Partnership Programme with yearly evaluations. Three are Malaysian organisations retained from Season 16, and the other five come from Indonesia, China and Singapore.
What is the MPL MY Season 18 prize pool?
Moonton's Season 18 announcement does not state a prize pool, and none had been confirmed by the organiser at the time of writing. Liquipedia lists USD100,000 for each season from Season 7 to Season 17. The bigger prize for teams is qualification: the top two Season 18 finishers represent Malaysia at the M8 World Championship in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Who won MPL MY Season 17?
Selangor Red Giants won Season 17, beating Team Vamos 4-0 in the Grand Final at Stadium Juara. It was their fifth consecutive MPL Malaysia title, which Moonton described as the first five-peat in MPL history in the region. Season 17, which ran from 3 April to 7 June 2026, peaked at 740,146 concurrent viewers according to Esports Charts.
Sources
- MPL Malaysia Season 18 '8 Cerita' announcement (Moonton, 11 Aug 2026)
- MPL Malaysia Season 17 Grand Finals recap (Moonton, 9 June 2026)
- MPL Malaysia Season 18 starts with eight teams chasing two spots in Istanbul (Priceshop, 20 Aug 2026)
- What to look forward to in MPL Malaysia Season 18 (SAYS, 18 Sept 2026)
- MPL Malaysia names eight core teams under long-term partnership (Malay Mail, 24 Feb 2026)
- MPL MY ushers in new era with enhanced franchise format (NST, Sept 2025)
- Media Prima joins new-look MPL MY season (NST, 14 Mar 2026)
- MPL Malaysia season history (Liquipedia)
- MPL MY playoffs bracket (MLBBHub)
- RM1 juta lonjak pasukan e-sukan ke pentas dunia (RTM/Bernama, 10 July 2025)
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