TL;DR: Six teams, five days, and two tickets to M8. The MPL PH Season 18 playoffs run October 21 to 25 at PhilSports Arena in Pasig. Team Liquid PH enters as the No. 1 seed, Team Falcons PH takes the other upper bracket spot, and Aurora, the defending M-Series champs, have to start from the play-ins. Tickets start at ₱250.
Eight weeks of regular season are done, and the playoff picture is locked. Two teams are out, six are still alive, and only two will fly to Istanbul, Türkiye for the M8 World Championship in January 2027. Kaya ngayon pa lang, ramdam na ang pressure.
How the regular season ended
The top of the table came down to the very last match. Team Liquid PH and Team Falcons PH both finished 12-2, and they met in the final game of the regular season. Falcons took Game 1, but Liquid answered with two straight wins to take the series 2-1, avenging their Week 1 loss to the same team.
Here’s how all eight teams finished:
- Team Liquid PH – 12-2 (25-6 in games), No. 1 seed
- Team Falcons PH – 12-2 (26-10), No. 2 seed
- Aurora Gaming PH – 9-5 (20-13)
- ONIC Philippines – 9-5 (21-14)
- Omega Esports – 7-7 (15-18)
- TNC Pro Team – 4-10 (14-22)
- AP.Bren – 3-11 (10-23), eliminated
- Twisted Minds PH – 0-14 (3-28), eliminated
The playoff bracket
The top two seeds skip the play-ins and go straight to the upper bracket. The other four teams play single-elimination play-ins, so one bad series and you’re out.
Day 1 – Wednesday, October 21 (Play-ins, Best of 5)
- ONIC Philippines vs TNC Pro Team – 3:00 PM
- Aurora Gaming PH vs Omega Esports – 7:00 PM
Day 2 – Thursday, October 22 (Upper Bracket, Best of 5)
- ONIC/TNC winner vs Team Falcons PH – 3:00 PM
- Aurora/Omega winner vs Team Liquid PH – 7:00 PM
Day 3 – Friday, October 23 (Best of 5)
- Lower Bracket Semifinal – 3:00 PM
- Upper Bracket Final – 7:00 PM
Day 4 – Saturday, October 24
- Lower Bracket Final (Best of 7) – 5:00 PM
Day 5 – Sunday, October 25
- Grand Final (Best of 7) – 5:00 PM
Here’s the important part: both grand finalists qualify for M8. That means the winner of the upper bracket final on Friday clinches a slot early, and the lower bracket final on Saturday is basically a do-or-die match for the second M8 ticket.
Storylines to watch
Liquid’s four-peat bid. Team Liquid PH has won three straight MPL PH titles, the latest a 4-2 win over Falcons in the Season 17 grand final. They enter this playoff as the top seed with the best game record in the league. Mahirap silang pigilan.
Falcons want revenge. Falcons led the league for most of the season and matched Liquid’s 12-2 record. They’ve now lost to Liquid in the last grand final and in the match that decided the top seed. If they meet again in October, expect fireworks.
Aurora’s hard road. The defending M-Series champs finished 9-5 and have to win a play-in against Omega before they even get a crack at Liquid in the upper bracket.
ONIC’s shot. ONIC opened the season by beating Aurora 2-0 and now faces TNC in the play-ins, with Falcons waiting on the other side.
Out early. AP.Bren, former M-Series world champions, miss the playoffs at 3-11. Twisted Minds PH ends the season without a single match win.
Tickets and venue reminders
Tickets are available on the official MPL PH site. PhilSports Arena will have about 4,000 seats for the playoffs.
- October 21–23: Legend ₱250, Mythic ₱350 per match
- October 24 (Lower Bracket Final): Legend ₱500, Mythic ₱600
- October 25 (Grand Final): Legend ₱600 (Mythic was already sold out when we checked)
- VISA Mythical Glory Day Pass: ₱1,800 to ₱2,500 for front-row seats and perks. Only the Day 1 pass was still available when we checked.
A few house rules to remember. Closed-toe footwear is required, so bawal ang tsinelas, sandals, and open slides. Kids below 7 are not allowed, and attendees aged 7 to 17 need a guardian. Food and drinks are not allowed inside the hall.
So, sino ang pupunta sa Istanbul? Liquid four-peat, or is this finally Falcons’ season? Drop your picks in the comments.