Team Liquid PH punched its ticket to Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris with a convincing 3-1 victory over rivals ONIC Philippines in the upper bracket finals of MPL Philippines Season 17 on Friday.
The Cavalry also booked their appearance on Sunday’s MPL PH Grand Finals for the third time in a row and a chance to defend their throne.
Fresh off a 3-0 sweep of Smart Omega a day earlier, the Cavalry opened the series with a dominant 17-minute Game 1 win. Sanford “Sanford” Vinuya rolled back the years with a 4/2/4 performance on his signature Paquito, while Dave “Teddy” Viana shined on Harith with a 5/0/1 stat line.
Team Liquid controlled every major objective from the start, denying ONIC any opportunity to establish momentum while shutting down setup attempts from Borris “Brusko” Parro’s Chou.
The Cavalry nearly dropped Game 2 after ONIC found an opening in the 15th minute. Despite losing the Lord, the Super Family forced a team fight that left Alston “Sanji” Pabico as the lone survivor for Team Liquid.
However, ONIC failed to capitalize on their advantage. Team Liquid secured the next two Lords and leveraged their superior macro play to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Jaypee “Jaypee” dela Cruz’s Hilda proved instrumental, assisting in 12 of the team’s 16 kills.
ONIC finally broke through in Game 3 behind Jann Kirk “Kirk” Gutierrez’s Paquito. The EXP laner successfully kept Sanford in check, limiting his impact in team fights. With Sanford neutralized, ONIC seized control and punished the rest of Team Liquid in the 14th minute to extend the series.
Clayton “Savero” Kuswanto earned MVP honors with a clean 2/0/6 performance on Moskov.
Team Liquid responded immediately in Game 4 behind Sanji’s Yve and a crucial mid-game read. The veteran midlaner spotted Frince “SuperFrince” Ramirez’s Luo Yi diversion play in the 16th minute, allowing Jaypee’s Chou and Sanford’s Phoveus to collapse and turn the fight in Team Liquid’s favor.
The quick turnaround forced Savero’s Claude to retreat and defend an exposed base, but the effort proved futile as the Cavalry closed out the series.
With the victory, Team Liquid PH advances to its third consecutive MPL Philippines Grand Finals and moves one step closer to becoming the first team in league history to complete a three-peat. ONIC Philippines, meanwhile, drops to the lower bracket.
Elsewhere, Smart Omega’s impressive playoff run came to an end at the hands of a determined Team Falcons PH.
The Barangay managed to take only Game 2, powered by Kenneth “Netskie” Barro’s flawless 11/0/4 Claude performance. Outside of that, however, the series belonged to the Falcons.
Rowgien “Owgwen” Unigo, Michael “Kyle” Sayson, and Marco “SuperMarco” Requitiano led Team Falcons to a 3-1 victory, keeping their hopes of reaching Paris alive.
The Green Falcons will now face third-seeded ONIC Philippines in the lower bracket finals. The winner will secure the second ticket to Paris and earn the right to challenge Team Liquid PH for the MPL Philippines Season 17 championship on Sunday.
