Even with how difficult and frustrating mahjong can be, sometimes you have to be thankful and grateful for the little things. Sometimes it’s being thankful for getting that tight 1st place, sometimes it just avoiding 4th. Sometimes you’re thankful for winning, sometimes it’s not drawing the deal-in tile. And with every game, you are thankful to have three other people to play this fun game with.
In the 11th week of the M-League 2025-26 season, fans were thankful for many things, including timely kans, ippatsu hits and surprise wins.
Thank you for your patience. Let’s get right into it, shall we?
In every mahjong game, there are battles. There are battles between players to fight for first place. There are battles in your mind about which move is the best. You even battle yourself when you’re facing luck and fate.
In Week 10 of the M-League 2025-26 season, we saw all these battles and more. From players battling the odds to make comebacks, to teams battling it out in the standings, it was quite a week of shifts and surprises.
Let’s get right into it, shall we?
Premium Night
This week, M-League announced the date for the next M-League Premium Night.
On Friday, February 6, 2026, M-League will host a Premium night at Kanadevia Hall (formerly known as Tokyo Dome City Hall).
Crowd during the public viewing in 2024
At the event, they will attempt to broadcast one game for each table. For the first game, they will broadcast the EX Furinkazan vs. Kadokawa Sakura Knights vs. Konami Mahjong Fight Club vs. Shibuya Abemas. For the second game, they will broadcast the Earth Jets vs. Sega Sammy Phoenix vs. Team Raiden vs. Beast X. The commentators at the venue will be announced at a later day.
Along with the broadcasts, all team players will be in attendance, as well merchandise sales, other stage events and a prize draw.
Tickets range from 9,800 yen to 18,000 yen, and will be sold on the Lawson Ticket website starting on December 1 for official supporters and December 4 for the general public. There is also a suite room costing 360,000 yen that can accommodate up to 15 people and includes a light snacks and drinks and a team meet-and-greet.
It takes a lot of work to move ahead. Naturally, you have to be down to move up. But, it’s another thing to take that power and momentum and to go further and higher and faster and stronger than ever before.
In the 9th week of the M-League 2025-26 season, we had comebacks from players and teams using their momentum to. From a surprise baiman to a team going even higher than they already were, both individual and team strength were on full display.
As we get deeper into the M-League season, players start getting more comfortable. Their mindsets adjust and they get into a groove when they play. Whenever they get stuck, they are able to adjust and move along. And when they have the momentum, they move along smoothly and reach new records and new heights.
Things moved along quite well for some teams and players in the 8th week. With streaks and comeback and positive movements, things continue to be competitive on the big M-League stage.
There are many moments in mahjong that are great. A big hand, a big win, multiple wins in a row, all of them bring great satisfaction to the victors. But there are also many small moments that bring joy as well. Small wins, small gains, small movements in the standings, all of these small things show progress and improvement along the path of greatness.
In the 7th week of the M-League 2025-26 regular season, we had many moments great and small. From a yakuman win to seven teams gaining points (even if those gains were small), joy was spread to players and fans alike.
In mahjong, there is a lot of volatility. And with this volatility, shakeups can occur. Lucky draws and surprise uradora can suddenly change the winner of a game, which in turn can radically change the overall standings. And that’s what makes mahjong so fun.
This week, the 6th week of the M-League 2025-26 regular season, we had quite a shakeup at the top of the standings. Teams with big gains and big losses, the standings look nothing like they were just a week ago. And with all the teams getting closer and closer, nobody knew who would be on top by the end of it.
In mahjong, everyone strives for greatness. From small wins to contributions to the community, everyone builds their legacy. And with enough skill and time and effort, and through the lives they’ve touched, a small handful of people will be called one of the greats.
This week, we learned about the loss of one of these greats. This loss caused pain to many in the mahjong community. And through the pain, players played in memory of this person, honoured their legacy and recounted memories that they held dear.
Maehara Yudai (1956- 2025)
On October 12, 2025, former M-Leaguer Maehara Yudai passed away at the age of 68. Maehara was a member of the Konami Mahjong Fight Club from the 2018-19 season to the 2020-21 season. He was an integral part of the start of M-League and the Konami Mahjong Fight Club. He was most famous for exemplifying the team’s signature pose, even doing it at the table after winning a game.
Memories and tributes started flowing in from the mahjong community, including Shiratori Sho’s Tweet about how he learned the news and how the memories with Maehara started flooding back, to Sasaki Hisato’s note about how close the two of them were and how Maehara helped shape Hisato to be the pro he is today.
Before the games on October 16, 2025, a moment of silence was held to remember Maehara.
Former teammates Sasaki Hisato and Takamiya Mari also honoured Maehara by performing his famous pose at the end of their games that day.
The M-League Watch Team would like to give to send its deepest condolences to Maehara’s family and the mahjong community and wish everyone comfort in this difficult time.
Beginnings and endings are everywhere in mahjong. Winning streaks begin and winning streaks end. Explosive starts and amazing last-hand comebacks can define a game. Tenpai at the start of hands and wins on the very last tile can create amazing moments.
In the 4th week of the M-League 2025-26 regular season, we had many of these starts and ends. From two double riichi wins and a haitei, to a team getting their first three wins of the season, to the end of a powerhouse team’s reign, this week was full of moments that kept fans glued to their screens, excited every single second.
When you win a hand worth 6 or 7 han, that is called a haneman. A haneman is worth 12,000 for a non-dealer and 18,000 for the dealer. Winning a haneman puts you squarely between being unbeatable and within reach. In any case, a haneman will send a strong message to your opponents that you are not someone to be messed with.
In the third week of the M-League 2025-26 regular season, we had a lot of hanemans. We even had one game where four hanemans in a row! In addition to the hanemania, we also had a player overcoming a 54,700 deficit to win the game!
For the first time in M-League history, we have two games playing at the same time. Both in the same studio, two broadcasts running simultaneously. Twice the action, twice the fun.
This week, the second week of the M-League 2025-26, we had players and teams getting their first wins and a lot of Ura 3 wins. We even had an incredible hand repeated for the second week in a row~
Don’t think twice about it! Let’s get right into it, shall we?
M-League Watch 