The road to a historic Golden Road just got steeper for Team Liquid PH after the Filipino squad dropped to the lower bracket following a stunning loss to Aurora Gaming PH on 18 January 2026. The setback came despite Team Liquid PH having swept Aurora, 4–0, during the MPL Philippines Season 16, underscoring how unforgiving international play can be.

Now fighting for survival, Team Liquid PH must string together consecutive elimination wins to keep their championship hopes alive. Standing in their way is ONIC Indonesia, another powerhouse suddenly backed into a corner.

ONIC ID, which nearly completed its own Golden Road run at the M5 World Championship, fell short only after being stopped by AP Bren. The Indonesian side now finds itself in a similar predicament after a surprise loss to Alter Ego—a team it had previously dominated, 4–1, in the MPL Indonesia Season 16 Finals.

Both squads arrive at the lower bracket with bruised pride, having been beaten by opponents they controlled in domestic competition. Their matchup sets the stage for a high-stakes showdown where past dominance means little and one misstep could spell the end of a title run.

What would normally be a finals-caliber clash will instead unfold in the opening round of the lower bracket, much earlier than fans anticipated. With championship dreams on the line, the margin for error is razor-thin.

Team Liquid PH’s bid for the Golden Road continues—or ends—when it faces ONIC Indonesia at 4 p.m. PHT on 22 January 2026.