Sibol settles for Mobile Legends silver in 2024 World Esports Championship

MANILA, Philippines — A back-to-back World Esports Championship (WEC) title was not meant to be for the country's national esports team Sibol which fell to Malaysia, 0-2, in the grand finals of the 2024 WEC for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia held late Friday night (Manila time).

Sibol had a strong start in its the title defense bid in the International Esports Federation (IESF)-organized tournament. The Philippine squad finishing at the top of its group after defeating Morocco, 2-0, and Malaysia, 2-1.

In the playoffs, Sibol made quick work of Argentina and host country Saudi Arabia, sweeping both match-ups in quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively, for a guaranteed silver medal.

On the other side of the bracket, fierce rivals Indonesia and Malaysia met in the semifinals, with Malaysia surviving a three-game series to set up a rematch with the Filipino squad for the trophy.

In the grand finals, Malaysia outwitted the Filipino squad in most of the team fights to sweep Sibol, 2-0, for the country's first WEC trophy.

With the MLBB event concluded, all eyes are now on Sibol's Dota2 team to secure another podium finish for the Philippines.