Sibol’s Honor of Kings team cops first bronze in China tiff

MANILA, Philippines – The country's national esports team, Sibol, has captured its first medal in popular mobile game Honor of Kings, finishing third in the 2024 China-ASEAN Esports Competition held offline in Nanning, China.

Seeded in Group A, Sibol was able to defeat Thailand (14-9) and Brunei Darussalam (21-4) but succumbed to home country bets China in a close 8-10 match to finish second in Group A and move on to the semifinals.

Sibol then met Malaysia but was swept 0-2 by what’s considered the top team in Southeast Asia, ending up in the bronze match-up against Indonesia, which fell to China on the other side of the semis bracket.

A delayed battle for third saw Sibol take the first game, with Indonesia equalizing. But it was eventually the Filipino squad that took home the bronze medal — the team's first medal in Honor of Kings.

The 2024 China-ASEAN Esports Competition will resume Friday with its Mobile Legends Bang Bang event, with Sibol fielding its Women's MLBB team against 11 other teams from China and Southeast Asia.