The Philippines is going hard in some of the biggest tournaments in EWC.
In a week from now, the Esports World Cup 2025 will begin, bringing teams from all over the world to fight for those million-dollar prize pools.
The biggest multi-sports tournament of the year takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and features 24 different games. The Philippines will be participating in a number of them, so we’ve prepared this list of Pinoy players and teams to watch out for.
Note that this won’t be a comprehensive list, as some tournaments are still waiting for teams and players to qualify. The Esports World Cup 2025 will run from July to August, meaning there’s still time for others to make it on one of the biggest esports stages in the world.
Patrick “PatMen” Mendoza of Paper Rex – VALORANT
Fresh off of winning Masters Toronto, the Paper Rex train’s next stop is the Esports World Cup 2025. Paper Rex showed off an evolved form of their W Gaming playstyle, and that’s thanks to PatMen. He brought a level of stability to the chaos of Paper Rex, which says a lot about his experience despite technically being a rookie to the international stage. Now we’ll see if that’ll be enough to take VALORANT’s inaugural EWC tournament.
Execration – Dota 2
As this year’s all-Pinoy team in EWC, Execration are entering the tournament with one goal: to do better. Last year’s representative, Blacklist International, ended up dead last in their group and Execration aren’t going to let that happen to them. They’re out to show that an all-Pinoy squad can still shine on the international Dota 2 stage.
And at the very least, we still have multiple Pinoy players on other teams. Shoutouts to Carlo “Kuku” Palad of Talon Esports, and Erin “Yopaj” Ferrer and Andrei “skem” Ong of Shopify Rebellion. If Execration stumbles in EWC, at least these guys have the potential to go far.
Team Liquid PH and ONIC Philippines – MLBB
These two teams don’t need any introductions as they carry the weight of the Philippines’ MLBB pride on their shoulders. The Esports World Cup 2025 is hosting the MLBB Mid Season Cup, and the last time the Philippines held the MSC trophy was 2022. We may be considered the strongest MLBB region in the world but it’s always felt like something was missing. With our two representatives looking as strong as they are, this might be the year we bring the MSC trophy back home.
We also have a number of Pinoy players playing across all the international teams playing in MSC. A special shoutout goes to Mark “Kramm” Rusiana, John “Innocent” Banal, and coach Michael “Arcadia” Bocado of SRG.OG. They’re the defending MSC champions, and they’re not going to give up the title without a fight.
Natus Vincere PH and Team Liquid – MLBB Women’s
Coming right after MSC is the MLBB Women’s Invitational, and that’s one tournament you need to keep an eye on. The Philippines are the defending champions with NAVI acquiring last year’s championship roster. Longtime rivals Indonesia are not going to let that slide and will likely go all out for this year’s MWI.
BOOM Esports, Blacklist International, and A.C.T. Esports Club – HoK
The Philippines is looking to make a big splash in the international HoK scene, and the Esports World Cup 2025 is the place to do it. BOOM were our representatives last year but were unfortunately unable to get past the group stage. Now bolstered by two other teams and an epic PKL victory, this might be their time to shine.
Banner photo from MOONTON Games.