CAEC 2026 brings China and Southeast Asia together for three-day MLBB showdown

The China-ASEAN Esports Competition (CAEC) 2026 got under way this week, running from November 6 to 8 at the Halson Conference Hall in Nanning, China, according to Esports.gg News.

It marks the third edition of the event, which brings together Mobile Legends: Bang Bang talent from China and Southeast Asian nations as part of a cultural exchange initiative rather than a standard club competition.

Rather than fielding their usual franchise rosters, teams at CAEC 2026 compete under national or regional banners, with some sides invited directly and others arriving through regional qualifiers, Esports.gg News reported.

Ten regions are represented across two groups. Group A features Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines, while Group B consists of China, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

The opening day, November 6, carried a packed schedule of round-robin fixtures, including Cambodia against Malaysia, Myanmar against Cambodia, China against Thailand and Laos against China, among other matches listed by Esports.gg News.

Day two, November 7, continued the group stage with fixtures such as Cambodia versus Brunei, China versus Indonesia and Vietnam versus China, before the playoff bracket opens later that day with the first-place finisher of Group A facing the Group B runner-up, and vice versa.

The remaining playoff matches, including the final placements, are scheduled for November 8, though the specific matchups remain to be determined pending the group stage results.

The Philippines' representative line-up is drawn from Team Liquid PH, fielding Sanford, KarlTzy, Sanji, Teddy and Jaypee, with Aeon as head coach. Indonesia's roster is built around RRQ Hoshi, featuring Dyrennn, Faviannn, Yehezkiel, Arthur and Said.

China's squad is sourced from DianFengYaoGuai, with FishGod, zaoshui, Yione, Loong and zzzed making up the starting five under head coach T1m3go. Vietnam's representatives come from Saigon Phantom, led by Meow, Joww, HeHeHeHeHe and Daylight.

Prize money for the event is listed in Chinese yuan, with the champion region set to receive ¥80,000, the runner-up ¥50,000 and the third-placed team ¥20,000, per figures published by Esports.gg News. Placements from fourth downward are not yet confirmed in terms of prize allocation.

The tournament is being livestreamed on the Douyu platform, with Esports.gg News noting that broadcasts are likely to be in Chinese given the host platform, though additional streaming options may yet be added.

With group standings still to be finalised as the competition progresses through its opening days, the playoff bracket on November 8 will determine the final placements and the distribution of the CNY prize pool among the ten competing regions.