Aero Esports permanently banned from MLBB esports

Malaysian esports organisation Aero Esports has been officially banned from the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) esports circuit.

Following an official investigation, the MPL Malaysia Committee has issued a ban to the org over outstanding financial obligations that have remained unresolved since October 2025.

In addition, the public statement mentioned several contract violations that occurred throughout MPL Malaysia Season 15 and Season 16. According to the Penalty Index B, Aero Esports has been handed a permanent suspension after the committee failed to get in touch with the team owner.

As a result, the owner has also been permanently banned from registering or operating any team within the MLBB ecosystem going forward.

“MPL Malaysia remains fully committed to ensuring the welfare of players is protected and to upholding the highest standards of professionalism,” the official MPL Malaysia’s announcement stated.

“The league enforces a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of financial misconduct and will continue to take firm action to preserve the integrity of the competition.”

To safeguard the affected players and staff, the MPL Malaysia Committee has decided to distribute a portion of the prize money allocated to teams for MPL Malaysia Season 16, which amounted to $100,000 (~£74,475), based on confirmed outstanding arrears.

Moreover, all players are free to explore opportunities with other MLBB organisations as free agents.

Formerly known as Red Esports, Aero Esports first joined the MPL back in 2020 through the MPL Malaysia Season 6 qualifier. Since then, the team has majorly competed in the mid-pack of the team, with several top-six finishes across most seasons, including the most recent MPL Malaysia Season 16.

The team’s best results came in Season 7 and Season 15, where it achieved a fourth place on both occasions.

Aero Esports’ suspension decision comes at a time when the Malaysian league is undergoing major structural changes, which will be switching to a franchising model after Season 16.

This will be the third franchised league in the MLBB ecosystem, following MPL Indonesia and MPL Philippines. Teams will need to pay a buy-in fee to secure permanent slots in the competition, replacing the traditional promotion and relegation format.

With Aero Esports removed, MPL Malaysia will also have to find a new partner team to be involved in the league. At the time of writing, however, no announcement has been made regarding Aero’s replacement.

The franchise model, despite the high upfront costs, is aimed at providing long-term stability to the participating organisations, offering revenue-sharing opportunities for sustainable growth. Back in 2019, the buy-in for MPL Indonesia was set at $1m (~£744,751); however, the same has yet to be revealed for MPL Malaysia.