Favorites Dominate to Stack Finals Field in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Qualifiers for Esports Nations Cup 2026

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (July 13, 2026) - The Esports Foundation (EF) today announced the completion of the online regional qualifiers for the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS tournament at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), the global nation-based esports competition set to debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2-29, 2026.

A total of 24 teams will compete in the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS tournament at ENC 2026. 12 countries and territories received direct invitations through the ENC Rankings last week, which use points obtained from competing and placing in various PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS competitions.

Now, 10 more teams have earned their spot in the main event through three online regional qualifiers: Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. An additional slot has gone to the team representing the United Arab Emirates, who secured the Host Region Wildcard as the next highest-placing competitor from the GCC region.

To complete the line-up, one Solidarity Wildcard slot remains for an underrepresented region to compete on the world stage, which will be announced at the end of August once all ENC qualifiers have been completed.

Here’s the full list of countries and territories that qualified through online regional qualifiers:

Americas: Canada, Paraguay
EMEA: Türkiye, Germany, Great Britain, Romania
Asia Pacific: Malaysia, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia
Host Region Slot: United Arab Emirates

There were few major surprises in the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS qualifiers, with most of the top-seeded nations living up to expectations and securing their places at the ENC Finals. Canada dominated the Americas competition from start to finish, though the big story in the region was Paraguay’s incredible comeback from a rough start, recording four WWCDs en route to claiming the second Americas slot. Malaysia, Japan, and Chinese Taipei controlled the standings for most of the tournament and ultimately secured the top three positions in Asia Pacific, but some excitement occurred late as Indonesia had to hold off a furious New Zealand comeback attempt.

EMEA was where things got interesting. Similar to Paraguay, Türkiye managed to recover from a poor start with a string of victories to secure qualification, while the top-seeded Germany and Great Britain faced plenty of difficulty while securing their spots. Romania was the big surprise of the tournament, as they only narrowly advanced past their group stage, and needed 10 kills and a second place finish in the last game of the finals to lock in the coveted 4th qualification slot from the region.

The full list of qualified players and nations can be viewed directly on the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS page of the ENC website.

The PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS tournament at ENC will begin on November 11 and will conclude with the Grand Final on November 15. The first stage will be a 24-team round-robin group stage featuring three groups of eight teams, with each group competing across five matches. The top 16 teams then move on to the Grand Final, where up to 10 high-stakes matches will decide the champion.

About the Esports Nations Cup

The Esports Nations Cup (ENC) is a biennial global esports competition created by the Esports Foundation (EF) that brings national pride to the world stage. Launching in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2026, the ENC will feature the world’s best players competing not for their clubs, but for their countries and territories, across a lineup of leading esports titles. Built in collaboration with game partners, clubs, and esports organizations, the ENC establishes the first recurring, large-scale platform for national teams in esports. Beyond competition, it aims to fuel fandom, inspire heroes, and provide sustainable pathways for nations, players, and partners to grow within the global esports ecosystem. esportsnationscup.com

Esports Nations Cup media contact:
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