Mobile Legends M6 World Championship setup revamped with Swiss format

The M6 Championship, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang’s main tournament of the year, is having a major format change, with the introduction of the Swiss format, replacing the competition’s group stage of the past.

The Swiss format is not new to the eSports scene, as it has already been implemented in other major tournaments, such as the League of Legends World Championships (LOL Worlds) and Counter-Strike 2 Major Championships (CS 2 Majors). 

For those who still remember the M1 World Championship, it has always used a single round-robin format during the group stage up to M5, where every team matches up with all the other teams. However, with the Swiss format in M6, there will be some exciting changes. Let’s explain.

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MLBB M6 Swiss Format Explained

Before diving in on how the M6 Championship will implement the Swiss format, let’s start with the basics: What is the Swiss format?

A Swiss format or Swiss-system tournament is a non-eliminating tournament in which competitors play several rounds. Teams are matched up against teams with the same standing or score, making it fairer, as the lower-ranked teams won’t immediately be matched up against the top competitors. For instance, 2-0 teams will be matched up against other 2-0 teams, while a 0-2 team will be matched up against 0-2 teams.

Now, for the M6 Championships, here are some details:

There will be 16 teams competing in the tournament from various regions: Philippines (2), Indonesia (2), Malaysia (2), Latin America (1), Singapore (1), Cambodia (1), Middle East and North Africa (1), Myanmar (1), Turkiye (1), North America (1), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (1), China (1), and Wildcard Qualifiers (2).

For Round 1: 

The 16 teams will then be randomly matched. All matches are best-of-1 (Bo1).

For Round 2: 

The eight teams with a 1-0 standing will be randomly matched against other 1-0 teams, while the eight teams with 0-1 standing will be matched against teams with 0-1 records. All matches are best-of-1 (Bo1).

For Round 3: 

• The four teams with a 2-0 record will be randomly matched. The winners will advance to the knockout stage. All matches are best-of-3 (Bo3).
• The eight teams with a 1-1 record will be randomly matched, with best-of-1 (Bo1) matches.
• The four teams with a 0-2 record will be randomly matched. The losers will be eliminated from the tournament. All matches are best-of-3 (Bo3).

For Round 4:

• The six teams with a 2-1 record will be randomly matched. The winners will advance to the knockout stage. Matches are Bo3.
• The six teams with a 1-2 record will be randomly matched. The losers will be eliminated from the tournament. Matches are Bo3.

For Round 5: 

• The six teams with a 2-2 record will be randomly matched. The winners will move on to the Knockout Stage, while the losers will be eliminated from the tournament. Matches are Bo3.

In summary for the Knockout Stage:

1. 3-0 Record
2. 3-0 Record
3. 3-1 Record
4. 3-1 Record
5. 3-1 Record
6. 3-2 Record
7. 3-2 Record
8. 3-2 Record

The shortest path remains to the top two teams who win all their first three games, while the longest path to the Knockouts is the 6^th to 8^th team, as they will play five games.

Here’s the full video from MLBB Esports:

With the implementation of the Swiss System, we can expect teams to do their best from the get-go, as there are no more easy groups and groups of death.

This year’s championship will be held in Malaysia, the host of the inaugural M World Championships, from November 21 to December 15, 2024. The purse prize will be $1,000,000.