Esports Nations Cup 2026 Announces Official PUBG: Battlegrounds Rosters and Invites

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (July 1, 2026) - The Esports Foundation (EF) today confirmed the official team rosters and direct invite recipients 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.

80 rosters representing 80 countries and territories have been officially submitted for PUBG: Battlegrounds at ENC 2026, but only 24 of them will have the chance to compete at the ENC Final. 12 teams will receive direct invitations through the official ENC 2026 Rankings, which aggregates points earned by players based on their placements in official PUBG competitions.

The majority of these invited countries and territories just competed in the PUBG Nations Cup in Seoul, South Korea, with more than 800,000 peak viewers tuning in during the final, the second highest ever for a PUBG event. This November, the ENC will put the best PUBG players in the world on stage together again to compete for more gold.

Those invited countries and territories, and their submitted rosters, are:

1. THAILAND - Nourinz, Lericz, Scappy, TiGGER, Belmoth, KiSS
2. PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - MMing, 04NB, LilGhost, tiantian, HS
3. REPUBLIC OF KOREA - EENd, Heather, Heaven, Gyumin, seoul, Seongjang
4. VIETNAM - Himass, Delwyn, TanVuu, YmCuD, Zest, DjChip
5. UKRAINE - Feyerist, Hakatory, SoseD, DiFX, Hexecu1or, Drugomu
6. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - Purdy, Shrimzy, Kickstart, CowBoi, diyy, SneakAttack
7. CROATIA - Lukarux, NIXZYEE, slqven, Nod1, ivas, ZEKO
8. DENMARK - Beami, Gustav, Ketter, Mikzenn, Doffy, BAAAD3
9. FINLAND - curexi, SkaV, S4TTA, iExE, stratos, Mise
10. BRAZIL - zkrakenN, sparkingg, possa, cauan7zin, Tny7, fana
11. AUSTRALIA - TGLTN, luke12, Fludd, Monty, Ripp, Dusky
12. ARGENTINA - Caspitan, emikxz, PIPAA, Dr4FTk1NG, Kalnixx, SzylzEN

Thailand will begin the finals as the top ranked team and a huge tournament favorite. KiSS and Scappy have been exceptional as of late, leading Made In Thailand to victories at both the PGS 2026 Circuit 1 and Circuit 2 Series Finals. With two 2025 world champions in TiGGER and Belmoth at their side, expectations for Thailand could not be higher.

But the roster with the most momentum as a group right now has to be the team representing Brazil, fresh off their sensational PUBG Nations Cup 2026 victory in Seoul. Brazil had earned a guaranteed spot in the Grand Finals thanks to a top-eight result in 2025, and jumped out to a quick lead with four high placement, kill-heavy games performances the first seven games. A 12-kill, top-two result in game 13 effectively sealed the series, as Brazil claimed this year’s PUBG Nations Cup, with sparkingg taking home the MVP award.

For a roster as talented as the one representing South Korea finishing second to Brazil stings, especially considering it was in front of their own fans in Seoul. For a player with a championship pedigree like Heaven, back-to-back second place finishes mere weeks apart at the Circuit 2 Series Finals and the PUBG Nations Cup can only inspire him to play even better, and the illustrious talent surrounding Heaven at ENC means that Korean fans will expect better as well.

The People’s Republic of China will field an exceptionally strong team at the ENC. Lilghost and tiantianhaovo of 17 Gaming are in near-perfect form after collecting trophies at PUBG Global Series 7 and PCL 2026 Spring this past month. Joining them are MMing and 04NB, two players from one of their domestic and international rivals in Petrichor Road. MMing and Lilghost have teamed up under their national banner in the past, but that gold medal has managed to elude them. This team of all-stars hopes to change that this November in Riyadh.

But the contenders are not just limited to Asia and Brazil. Croatia, Finland, and Denmark have the firepower to challenge anyone, and will be looking to prove that Europe belongs among PUBG's elite regions. The United States will be a strong contender as well; Team Falcons’ Kickstart and Shrimzy will join forces with Cowboi and Purdy from Team Liquid to form an American squad that is stacked with firepower. These two teams have gone back and forth against each other all season, dominating the top of the standing and qualifying for EWC 2026 in Paris with ease. But in November these rivals will become teammates sharing a common goal: a gold medal.

With the rankings locked and the invites sent out, attention now turns to the online regional qualifiers. 10 teams will qualify through online regional qualifiers that will take place July 11-12: four from Asia-Pacific, four from EMEA, and two from the Americas. The final two teams will be determined through Wildcard slots, one as a Solidarity Slot and one as a Host Region Slot.

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:

[email protected]