PUBG Global Championship 2026: Dec. 1 to 13 in Istanbul, 32 teams, a $1.5 million prize pool and the teams qualified so far

PUBG’s world title is decided in Istanbul. Here’s when the PUBG Global Championship 2026 runs, how it works and which teams have their spots.

When and where is the PUBG Global Championship 2026?

From Tuesday, Dec. 1, to Sunday, Dec. 13, 2026, in Istanbul, Türkiye, according to PUBG Esports. Thirty-two teams play across nine match days, and the title goes to the winner of the Grand Finals on Dec. 11 to 13. PUBG Esports hasn’t named the venue, put tickets on sale or published match times yet. Istanbul is eight hours ahead of ET in December.

How PGC 2026 works

For 2026, teams no longer all start in a shared group stage. Each team’s starting point depends on its results in the PUBG Global Series and its regional league during the season. Eight teams go straight to the Grand Finals: six regional league winners, the PGS points leader and the host wildcard. Eight more start on Survival Stage Day 1, and 16 start in the Qualifying Stage.

The Qualifying Stage on Dec. 1 sends its top eight to Survival Stage Day 1 and the other eight to Day 2. The Survival Stage runs from Dec. 2 to 6 with 16 teams a day. On each of the first four days, the day’s top team books a Grand Finals spot, and on the final day the top 16 teams by points across Days 1 to 4 fight for the last four spots. The Grand Finals then run 15 matches, five a day, from Dec. 11 to 13.

Prize pool

The prize pool is more than $1.5 million. A $1,310,000 Ranking Prize pays every team by final standing, with minimum payouts for teams that miss the Grand Finals, and a $190,000 Special Prize rewards key performances in the Grand Finals. Fan crowdfunding returns too, and for 2026 all of it goes to the Grand Finals top eight, from 30% for the winner down to 4%. PUBG Esports hasn’t published the full payout for each place.

Which teams have qualified?

Nine teams are in as of Oct. 13. From EMEA, Virtus.pro, Natus Vincere, 09 and Twisted Minds qualified on regional points, and from the Americas, Team Falcons, Team Liquid, Godlike and Circle Nine did the same. Virtus.pro and Team Falcons won the PEC and PAS Finals 2 in early October. On Oct. 13, PUBG Esports gave the host wildcard, which goes to the top team from the host region, to S2G Esports after the PUBG EMEA Championship: Fall, and S2G starts in the Grand Finals.

The full field has 32 spots: eight from PGS points, four each from the Americas, EMEA and China, three each from Korea, Vietnam and Thailand, two from the rest of Asia-Pacific and one host wildcard. If a team qualifies through both PGS points and its region, its regional spot passes to the next team in that region’s standings, and PUBG Esports names Acend Club and Copenhagen Wolves among the teams that could move up that way.

How the last global spots are decided

The PUBG Global Series wraps up with Circuit 4: PGS 10 from Oct. 14 to 18, PGS 11 from Oct. 22 to 25 and PGS 12 from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1. The top eight in the final PGS points standings qualify. First place goes straight to the Grand Finals, second starts on Survival Stage Day 1 and third to eighth start in the Qualifying Stage.

After Circuit 3, Virtus.pro led with 261 points, ahead of Made in Thailand with 224, 17Gaming with 223 and T1 with 208. Team Falcons sat seventh with 154 and Petrichor Road eighth with 152, just ahead of Gen.G Esports on 145. Up to 240 points are still on the table: 60 for winning PGS 10 or PGS 11 and 120 for winning PGS 12.

Twisted Minds came into 2026 as the defending Esports World Cup PUBG champion, and our Esports World Cup 2027 page has the next edition. December is crowded at the top of esports: the CS2 Major Singapore 2026 also ends on Dec. 13.

This page is updated as soon as PUBG Esports confirms the full list of 32 teams, the venue and the match times.