MPL PH S18: Team Liquid PH beat Falcons to finish top as AP Bren miss playoffs and Twisted Minds go 0-14
Team Liquid PH beat Team Falcons PH 2-1 on the last day of the MPL PH S18 regular season and finished first on game difference. Six teams head to the playoffs from 21 October.
Team Liquid PH finished top of the MPL Philippines Season 18 regular season after beating Team Falcons PH 2-1 on Sunday, 11 October, the last day of the regular season. Both teams ended on 12 wins and two losses. Liquid were placed first on the official table on game difference, so the two clubs take the byes into the playoffs, which run from 21 to 25 October at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
A final-day decider at the top
Falcons went into the final week top of the table at 11-1. Liquid were close behind at 9-2 and still had three matches to play. They won all three, beating Twisted Minds PH 2-0 on 8 October, ONIC Philippines 2-0 on 9 October and then Falcons in the closing match.
Falcons beat TNC Pro Team 2-1 on 9 October, but their defeat to Liquid on Sunday decided the top spot. Liquid finished with 25 game wins and six losses, a net of +19. Falcons were 26-10, a net of +16.
Final regular-season standings
- Team Liquid PH 12-2 (games 25-6)
- Team Falcons PH 12-2 (26-10)
- 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)
- Twisted Minds PH 0-14 (3-28)
Aurora Gaming PH and ONIC both finished 9-5 with a game difference of +7. The official table lists Aurora third and ONIC fourth.
TNC take sixth as AP Bren and Twisted Minds go out
The top six qualify for the playoffs. TNC Pro Team lost both of their final-week matches, 2-1 to ONIC on 8 October and 2-1 to Falcons a day later, but still finished sixth. AP Bren's 2-0 defeat to Omega Esports on 9 October left them on three wins, one fewer than TNC, so they miss the playoffs.
Twisted Minds PH lost all 14 of their matches. They won three games all season, the last of them in a 2-1 loss to Aurora on 11 October.
Playoff format and M8 places
The playoffs run from 21 to 25 October at PhilSports Arena. Seeds three to six play a single-elimination first round. Liquid and Falcons go straight into the double-elimination stage. The playoff series are best-of-five, except the lower-bracket final and the grand final, which are best-of-seven.
The playoffs also decide the Philippines' two places at the M8 World Championship in Istanbul, Turkiye, in January 2027.
Malaysian fans can watch at the same local times as viewers in the Philippines, since both countries use UTC+8. MPL Malaysia's own playoffs begin a few days later, on 28 October. Several Malaysian teams are chasing their own route to M8, so the Philippine bracket gives an early look at some of the teams they could meet in Istanbul.
Key takeaways
- Team Liquid PH beat Team Falcons PH 2-1 on 11 October to finish first on game difference, with both teams at 12-2.
- Liquid won all three of their final-week matches, against Twisted Minds PH, ONIC and Falcons.
- Aurora Gaming PH, ONIC Philippines, Omega Esports and TNC Pro Team complete the top six.
- AP Bren (3-11) and the winless Twisted Minds PH (0-14) miss the playoffs.
- The playoffs run from 21 to 25 October at PhilSports Arena, and the Philippines' two M8 places are at stake.
FAQ
Who finished first in the MPL PH S18 regular season? Team Liquid PH. They and Team Falcons PH both went 12-2, but Liquid were ahead on game difference, +19 to +16.
When and where are the MPL PH S18 playoffs? From 21 to 25 October 2026 at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
How many MPL PH teams qualify for M8? Two. Their places at the M8 World Championship in Istanbul in January 2027 are decided at the playoffs.
Sources: MPL Philippines official website, Dot Esports, The Philippine Star, Esports.gg