The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) made an announcement on Tuesday that PUBG Mobile, the popular mobile battle royale game by Krafton, will be joining the lineup of competitive titles at the first Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC). The event is scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
PUBG Mobile will be competing alongside other confirmed titles for ENC 2026, including League of Legends, Rocket League, Valorant, and more. A total of 16 titles will be featured in this nation vs. nation competition, with two titles yet to be revealed.
The PUBG Mobile tournament at ENC 2026 is set to run from Nov. 3 to Nov. 8, where 32 teams will participate in a group stage format consisting of four groups with eight teams each.
- A total of 32 teams will compete at ENC 2026.
- Sixteen teams will receive direct invitations, with 12 teams chosen based on the PUBG Mobile National Team Ranking and four teams receiving special invites.
- The remaining 16 teams will have to qualify, with 14 teams earning spots through regional qualifiers and two teams from Wildcard slots.
Regarding the new ranking system:
“The direct invites for the Esports Nations Cup will be determined using the PUBG Mobile National Team Ranking, which factors in performances from previous events. The ranking will consider results from the 2025 PUBG Mobile World Cup and Global Championship, as well as the 2026 PUBG Mobile Global Open. Points awarded to Clubs will be equally distributed among all team members. The top four players on each national roster will contribute to the national ranking. The cut-off date for ranking calculation is June 7, 2026.”
Regional qualifiers are scheduled for July 10-12, with double-elimination brackets in the following regions:
- North + Central America (2 slots)
- South America (1)
- Europe West (2)
- EECA (2)
- MENA (2)
- Central + Southern Africa (2)
- East + South Asia (1)
- SEA + Oceania (2)
ENC is slated to be held from Nov. 2 to Nov. 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with EWCF overseeing the event. The foundation is financially supported by a sports grant from the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund, the PIF.
However, projects linked to the Saudi government often face accusations of using sports events to divert attention from various human rights concerns. International watchdog groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have raised issues regarding Saudi Arabia’s record on human rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, treatment of journalists, actions in Yemen, and other matters.