PUBG Global Championship 2026 will run from Dec. 1 through Dec. 13, putting 32 teams into a three-stage fight for the season’s world title. It is the final event of the 2026 PUBG Esports season, following the completion of all 12 PUBG Global Series tournaments. PUBG’s tournament announcement lays out three different starting points for the field, with teams earning their places through results across the season.
32 teams begin from 3 starting stages
Eight teams have direct invitations to the Grand Finals, eight start in Survival Stage Day 1, and the remaining 16 must first play the Qualifying Stage. The starting groups are:
Grand Finals direct invites
- Virtus.pro (VP)
- 17Gaming (17)
- DN SOOPers (DNS)
- Falcons (FLC)
- Made in Thailand (MiTH)
- Natus Vincere (NAVI)
- Anyone’s Legend (AL)
- S2G Esports (S2G)
Survival Stage Day 1 direct invites
- eArena (EA)
- T1
- Team Liquid (TL)
- Four Angry Men (4AM)
- 09
- Alter Ego Esports (AE)
- Buriram United Esports (BRU)
- RELUCTANT SQUAD (RS)
Qualifying Stage
- Twisted Minds (TWIS)
- Godlike (GodL)
- Circle Nine (C9)
- Copenhagen Wolves (WOLF)
- Petrichor Road (PeRo)
- Edward Gaming (EDG)
- JD Gaming (JDG)
- Acend (ACE)
- Team Vitality (VIT)
- Divine (DN)
- Geekay Esports (GK)
- FN Pocheon (FN)
- Shadow Esports (SE)
- Sharper Esports (SP)
- FULL SENSE (FS)
- Alpha Gaming (APG)
Qualifying results set the Survival Stage entry order
The Qualifying Stage takes place Dec. 1. Its 16 teams will not be eliminated there, but placement changes when they enter the next stage. The top eight move to Survival Stage Day 1, while the other eight start on Day 2.
Survival runs Dec. 2-6. On each of the first four days, the day’s top team earns an immediate Grand Finals spot. Other teams move between days according to their standings, while cumulative points determine the 16 teams that compete in the Survival Stage Final. The top four in that final claim the remaining places, bringing the number of teams advancing from Survival to eight: four daily winners and four from the final.
The Grand Finals will have 16 teams, combining the eight direct invites with the eight teams advancing from Survival. They will play 15 matches over three days, with five matches each day. The championship goes to the team with the most cumulative points across those matches.
Match times and map rotation
The Qualifying Stage and Survival Stage are scheduled to start at 11:00 UTC. Grand Finals Days 1 and 2 also begin at 11:00 UTC, while the start time for Day 3 on Dec. 13 is still TBD. Practice Day is scheduled for Dec. 10, with regional programs varying by region.
Qualifying and Survival use the same five-map rotation: Erangel, Miramar, Taego, Rondo, then Erangel. The Grand Finals use that sequence on Days 1 and 3. Day 2 instead runs Taego, Erangel, Rondo, Miramar, then Taego.
A $1.5 million base prize pool
The base prize pool totals $1.5 million, split between $1.31 million in ranking prizes and $190,000 in special awards. The Grand Finals champion earns $500,000, the runner-up receives $150,000, and third place takes $100,000.
Special awards include $10,000 for the Grand Finals MVP, $10,000 for the winner of each of the 15 matches, and $30,000 for the team with the most kills across the finals. Fan crowdfunding is separate from the base pool and will support participating clubs, with the accumulated amount distributed among the top eight Grand Finals clubs according to their final standings.
Which part of the Survival Stage do you think will decide the last Grand Finals spots? Follow the championship’s stage race and map rotation with us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
Developed by PUBG Corp
PUBG: Battlegrounds is a battle royale shooter that pits 100 players against each other in a struggle for survival. Gather supplies and outwit your opponents to become the last person standing.
- Genre Shooter
- Platforms Google Stadia, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Battle Royale
- Release December 20, 2017
- Publisher Bluehole Studio, Microsoft Studios
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Age Rating
