KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8 — Malaysia’s triumphant back-to-back world championship win at the IESF World Esports Championship has injected a massive boost of confidence into the national squad ahead of their gold medal mission at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games.

National coach Michael Bocado (Coach Arcadia) said the timely victory has raised the team’s confidence and momentum ahead of the SEA Games opening tomorrow.

“For sure, we’re gonna do everything we can to achieve a gold. And we’re gonna use the remaining days to train really well… Overall, coming from this win, I think we have great momentum,” he told reporters last night.

Malaysia delivered a commanding performance against Cambodia, winning 3-0 in the grand final at Quill City Mall, and successfully defended their IESF world title for the second consecutive year. 

The team stamped their dominance through their all-star lineup of Idreen Jamal (Momo), Muhd Qayyum Ariffin Mohd Suhairi (Yums), Muhd Haqqullah Ahmad Shahrul Zaman (Sekysss), Hazziq Danish Mohd Rizwan (Stormie) and Ealtond Rayner (Lolealz).

Michael stressed that Malaysia is on the right track, but the team remains cautious and focused.

“The momentum is there, the confidence is there. But we’re not gonna be overconfident… we will add more strategies, we will add more heroes. Definitely, we’re gonna give our best,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sekysss noted the team’s chemistry had improved through their consistent world championship run. He emphasised that a SEA Games gold would hold great symbolic importance for Malaysia’s esports scene.

“If we become the SEA Games champion… we’ll get the chance to make history,” he added.

The Malaysian Esports Federation (MESF) has set a target of winning two gold medals, one each in the men’s and women’s MLBB events, at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

Malaysia has yet to win a gold in MLBB since the event debuted in 2019. At the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, the men’s team took silver and the women’s team earned bronze. — Bernama