A team lost their World Cup ticket because two members “went to the wrong place”
Recently, a drama has emerged that has shaken the international gaming community in general and the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang community in particular. This is the case of S8UL Esports – the North American champions of the NACT Spring 2025 tournament, being officially eliminated from the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid Season Cup (MSC) at the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC) held in Riyadh.
Why, you ask? It’s because 2 key players of S8UL Esports, Hoon and Mobazane, participated in an event of the rival game, which is a serious violation of the organizers’ regulations. This “rival” is none other than the game Honor of Kings. The two players mentioned not only livestreamed but were also reported to have promotional activities contrary to MSC regulations.
According to the official announcement from the MSC 2025 Committee, this behavior is considered a violation of the terms in the MSC Penalty Index. The law states that if players participate in activities, events, or livestreams of rival games to increase the recognition level for that game, they can face severe penalties. The consequence this time is an immediate ban on both players.
The organizers stated they had given Team S8UL several opportunities to withdraw from the rival event to maintain their spot in the MSC, yet the team continued to allow the two players to participate in the aforementioned event. When the penalty was officially announced, S8UL no longer had the minimum required roster (at least 5 official players, 1 substitute, and 1 coach), which meant they were eliminated from the tournament. Since there were no “force majeure” factors such as illness or accidents, S8UL is also not allowed to recruit new players.
North America’s World Cup ticket handed to the runner-up
With S8UL’s elimination, the organizers quickly announced that the MSC 2025 spot for the North American representative would be transferred to Area 77 – the runner-up of the NACT Spring 2025. This is seen as a reasonable move to ensure fairness and uphold the professional standards of the tournament.
This incident has raised many controversies within the Esports community: Is participating in an event of another game really worthy of such a harsh penalty? Some believe that the law is always right, especially with direct competitors like Mobile Legends and Honor of Kings. On the other hand, many feel that “punishing the entire team” just for two individuals is too harsh.
No matter the perspective, this is undoubtedly a significant lesson for Esports players. Every decision and every public appearance can carry consequences, especially when representing a team for an entire region on a global stage.