Sibol kissed its gold medal hopes goodbye in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang esports event of the Asian Games 2026 after a shocking quarterfinal loss to Indonesia, 1-2, on Wednesday at Aichi Sky Expo.
The Philippines, represented by the core of four-time Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) Philippines champion Team Liquid, struggled to establish its footing as Indonesia’s aggressive start repeatedly disrupted Sibol’s plans throughout the series.
Despite dropping the first game, Sibol bounced back strong in Game 2, weathering the early-game pressure that had hounded them throughout the series to force a decider.
However, Indonesia once again seized the initiative from the opening minutes of Game 3 and close out the series, 22-18, in 17 minutes.
Karl ‘KarlTzy’ Nepomuceno, who had been stellar throughout the series, was neutralized by Indonesia’s suffocating jungle control in Game 3, with his Nolan pick struggling to find farm and falling behind in levels.
‘I feel like we made a lot of mistakes, and I don’t think we played our game at all. I don’t even know why we lost. I didn’t expect us to lose because of how we played. They just played better,’ Nepomuceno told local broadcaster Cignal in Filipino.
‘I still think the Philippines is on top. Maybe we just don’t play well enough internationally. I feel like the Philippines is still the best; we just struggle when we play internationally.’
By the 10-minute mark, Sibol had been stripped of nearly all its resources, with the opposing side claiming six turrets, three Turtles, and a Lord to build a 7,000-gold advantage and leave the Philippines with little room to mount a comeback.
The MLBB Philippine squad, composed of Nepomuceno, Sanford ‘Sanford’ Vinuya, Alston ‘Sanji’ Pabico, Jaypee ‘Jaypee’ Dela Cruz, Dave ‘Teddy’ Viana, and Duane ‘Kelra’ Pillas, swept Pool C through convincing wins over Jordan and Kazakhstan before its campaign came to a sudden halt against Indonesia.
‘I feel like I didn’t learn anything. This run feels pointless to me because we knew we had the advantage in every aspect, but I don’t know how we still lost,’ Nepomuceno said. ‘Maybe the mindset is just to bounce back. That’s always how I approach it.’
The loss marked the end of Sibol’s campaign in the Asian Games, with the Philippines’ esports delegation delivering bronze medals in both Honor of Kings and Pokémon Unite.
Earlier in the day, Sibol’s Identity V squad also saw its Asian Games campaign come to an end in the quarterfinals after a 0-2 loss to Malaysia.