The country's national Esports team dominated the International Esports Federation Asia and Oceania Qualifiers to book slots in the IESF World Esports Championship 2023 that would be held from 25 August to 3 September in Iasi, Romania.

Known as Sibol, the national squads Mobile Legends: Bang Bang squad of AP Bren players Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel, Kyle "KyleTzy" Sayson, Rowgien "Owgwen" Unigo, Marco Stephen "Super Marco" Requitano, David "Flap" Canon and coach Francis "Duckey" Glindro lost just one game before giving Magnolia a 3-0 beatdown in the finals.

Sibol overall head coach Ralph Llabres said the performance of the Filipino gamers in the prestigious qualifiers is the fruit of their hard work and dedication to dominate the international arena.

"The performance of Team Sibol in the IESF Asia and Oceania Qualifiers gave us a glimpse of how hard Filipino athletes work behind the scenes to dominate the Asian stage," Llabres told Daily Tribune in a message.

"This brings us one step closer to competing once more on the international stage. It also gives us another chance at that gold medal which we fell short on last year."

Sibol's DOTA 2 squad, on the other hand, was just as dominant.

Composed of touted veteran players Marvin "Boomy" Rushton, Jun "Bok" Kanehara, Mc "Mac" Villanueva, Bryle "cml" Alvizo, Eljohn "Akashi" Andales and Justine "Tino" Grimaldo, Sibol had no problem dispatching Myanmar in the finals, 2-0, to secure their slot in the world championship next month.

Llabres stressed that preparation served as the biggest reason behind their success.

"For both Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and DOTA 2, the difference this year is that we are much more prepared," Llabres said, adding that some of the most recognizable names in competitive Esports are expected to compete in Romania.