# MPBL Preseason Invitational

The MPBL Preseason Invitational is the preseason pocket tournament of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). The tournament was first held in 2021, intended to make up for the long gap between the 2019–20 and 2022 seasons. The Preseason Invitational returned with a smaller eight-team format in 2023 and 2024 before being cancelled for the 2025 MPBL season.

## History

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to temporarily suspend league play on March 12, 2020, in the midst of its 2020 playoffs. The league also cancelled its plans to start its fourth season in June of that year and instead aimed for a return in June 2021, which also didn't push through.
As the league began its transition to professional status, it also looked to start an invitational tournament in December. On November 16, 2021, during the online Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum, league commissioner Kenneth Duremdes formally announced the Invitational as the league settled on starting its fourth season in 2022. The tournament would also be supervised by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and monitored by FIBA.
The 2021 MPBL Invitational went underway on December 11, 2021. It was the first event of the MPBL under professional status. The entire tournament was held at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay and fans were allowed in the arena at 50-percent capacity, though tickets were only provided to the participating teams to give to fans. The inaugural tournament featured 22 teams and was won by Basilan Jumbo Plastic.
The Invitational has since become the league's preseason tournament in the seasons that followed. The next two editions of the Invitational (2023 and 2024) took place at Lagao Gymnasium in General Santos. The tournament is now held every February to align with the city's Kalilangan Festival. This is also the only event in the league's calendar to feature guest teams. Since 2023, the GenSan Bulalakaw, a General Santos-based club, have become a regular competitors at the tournament. Now renamed as the MPBL Preseason Invitational, the Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines won the 2023 edition while the Pampanga Giant Lanterns won the 2024 edition.
On January 23, 2025, the league announced that it would cancel plans to hold a preseason tournament for the 2025 season.

## Format

The format of the Preseason Invitational follows that of traditional FIBA tournaments. Since 2023, each tournament consists of eight teams that are divided into two groups of four teams. Each team plays one game against each team from within the same group. The top two teams advance to the single-elimination playoffs, where the top four positions are settled.

### Prize pot

The Preseason Invitational also features a prize pot, which is included in every tournament to date. In 2021, only the top three teams were given prize money. This was changed in 2023 so that every team is given prize money.
| Rank | 2021 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 1st | ₱2,000,000 | ₱3,000,000 | ₱1,500,000 |
| 2nd | ₱500,000 | ₱500,000 | ₱500,000 |
| 3rd | ₱250,000 | ₱300,000 | ₱300,000 |
| 4th | — | ₱200,000 | ₱200,000 |
| 5th–8th | — | ₱100,000 | ₱125,000 |

## Teams

A total of 28 teams have made an appearance in a Preseason Invitational tournament. Teams are listed under their name as of the 2024 season, the last time the event was held.
| * | Guest team |
| † | Team has since departed the league |
| Team | Appearances | Appearances | Appearances | Best result |
| Team | Total | First | Last | Best result |
| Bacolod City of Smiles | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Bacoor City Strikers† | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Basilan Jumbo Plastic* | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Champions |
| Bataan Risers | 1 | 2024 | 2024 | Group stage |
| Batangas City Tanduay Rum Masters | 2 | 2023 | 2024 | Third place |
| Bicolandia Oragons | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Quarterfinalist |
| Biñan Tatak Gel | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Bulacan Kuyas | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Caloocan Batang Kankaloo | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| GenSan Bulalakaw* | 2 | 2023 | 2024 | Group stage (2x) |
| Iloilo United Royals | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Quarterfinalist |
| Imus Agimat | 2 | 2021 | 2023 | Third place |
| Makati OKBet Kings† | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Manila Batang Sampaloc | 2 | 2021 | 2024 | Group stage (2x) |
| Marikina Shoemasters | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Mindoro Tamaraws | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Quarterfinalist |
| Muntinlupa Cagers | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Negros Muscovados* | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | 2 | 2021 | 2023 | Runner-up (2x) |
| Pampanga Giant Lanterns | 1 | 2024 | 2024 | Champions |
| Pasig City MCW Sports† | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Third place |
| Quezon City Toda Aksyon | 1 | 2024 | 2024 | Fourth place |
| Rizal Golden Coolers | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Group stage |
| San Juan Knights | 1 | 2021 | 2021 | Quarterfinalist |
| Sarangani Marlins | 2 | 2021 | 2023 | Fourth place |
| South Cotabato Warriors | 3 | 2021 | 2024 | Group stage (3x) |
| Valenzuela Classic | 3 | 2021 | 2024 | Group stage (3x) |
| Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines | 1 | 2023 | 2023 | Champions |

### Notes

* ↑ If a team has achieved the same result multiple times, it is shown in parentheses.
* ↑ Basilan Jumbo Plastic originally departed from the league at the time of the 2021 tournament, and would later return full-time in 2025.
* ↑ The Negros Muscovados were not yet a full-time member at the time of the 2021 tournament, as they would later join the league in 2023.

## List of tournaments

| Year | City | Finalists | Finalists | Finalists | Semifinalists | Semifinalists | Semifinalists | Ref. |
| Year | City | Champion | Score | Runner-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | Ref. |
| 2021 | Pasay | Basilan Jumbo Plastic | 83–80 (OT) | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors | 100–80 | Imus Buracai de Laiya | |
| 2023 | General Santos | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines | 88–80 | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Imus SV Squad | 93–76 | Sarangani Marlins | |
| 2024 | General Santos | Pampanga Giant Lanterns | 93–75 | South Cotabato Warriors | Batangas City Athletics | 68–60 | Quezon City Toda Aksyon | |