Kuala lumpur: The national men's Mobile Legends Bang-Bang (MLBB) squad will rely on an all-local expertise as they gear up for this year's tournaments, including the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) president Muhammad Naim Al-Amin Saharuddin stated that the decision was a step towards recognising the expertise of local talent, which is seen as equal to that of foreign coaches. He mentioned that they previously relied on foreign coaches, although they ensured the assistant was local. There is a possibility that the assistant coach might be promoted to the head coach position, a transition that MESF wanted previously, to maintain the momentum the team has built up.

Earlier reports indicated that the Philippines had secured the services of former Malaysian MLBB head coach Michael Bocadio (Arcadia) for the 2026 Asian Games, along with Paul Miranda (Yeb) and Francis Glindro.

For the record, the national men's MLBB team had an excellent season last year, emerging as champions of the IESF World Esports Championship 2025 and winning silver in the SEA Games Thailand. The women's team were just as successful, winning gold at the biennial Games in Thailand.