Filipinos fall short of CODM Major trophy
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ bid to capture the Call of Duty: Mobile (CODM) Major Spring 2026 title ended in heartbreak as both Elevate and Al-Ula fell to China’s Q9 in the closing stages of the tournament.
The Spring Major marked a milestone for the scene, featuring international teams outside China for the first time and giving Asia’s top contenders a shot at challenging top Chinese teams.
Al-Ula, composed of former Stalwart Esports players, emerged as the dominant team in the group stage, sweeping through the field with an unblemished 13-0 record, while other Filipino bets Elevate and Team Star Magic remained in playoff contention with a 9-4 and 5-8 record.
In the last-chance qualifiers, Elevate kept its upper bracket hopes alive after outlasting Q9 in a tight 3-2 series. Team Star Magic, however, exited earlier after a loss to China’s OUG.
Al-Ula carried its form into the playoffs, dispatching Wolves, 3-1, to extend its unbeaten run and strengthen its title campaign. Elevate, meanwhile, stumbled early after a 3-0 sweep loss to India’s GodLike Esports, sending the Filipino squad to the brink of elimination.
Al-Ula kept the Philippines’ championship hopes alive, dropping GodLike Esports to the lower bracket to secure a finals spot and fueling a potential all-Garena grand final.
Elevate battled through the lower bracket to reach the offline stage in Shanghai, where it once again faced Q9. The Filipino squad initially prevailed, 4-2, positioning itself for a possible rematch against GodLike.
However, visa issues prevented the Indian squad from traveling, handing Q9 a second chance in the tournament.
Q9 capitalized on the reprieve, narrowly defeating Elevate, 4-3, to deny the Philippines a second representative in the grand finals.
Riding its momentum, Q9 completed its lower bracket run by overpowering Al-Ula, 4-1, to secure the CODM Major Spring title on home soil.
Despite the losses, all three Filipino teams will once again see action in the Garena Summer Invitational (GSI) 2026 set to be played offline on May 24 during the CODM Summer Fest 2026 at the SMX Aura Convention Center in Taguig City.
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