The Esports Foundation (EF) has officially completed the online regional qualifiers for the PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS tournament at the upcoming Esports Nations Cup 2026 (ENC), bringing the competition one step closer to its global debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Scheduled to take place between November 2 and November 29, ENC 2026 will see nations from around the world compete across multiple esports titles, with PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS featuring 24 national teams battling for international glory.
Ten More Nations Secure Their Place
Following the announcement of 12 directly invited nations through the ENC Rankings system, ten additional teams have now qualified through regional online competitions across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific regions.
An additional place has also been awarded to the United Arab Emirates through the Host Region Wildcard, recognising the highest-placing competitor from the GCC region outside of the direct qualifiers.
Only one position remains unclaimed, with a Solidarity Wildcard slot reserved for an underrepresented region. The final nation will be announced later this August once all ENC qualification events have concluded.
Qualified Nations Through Regional Qualifiers
Americas
- Canada
- Paraguay
EMEA
- Türkiye
- Germany
- Great Britain
- Romania
Asia Pacific
- Malaysia
- Japan
- Chinese Taipei
- Indonesia
Host Region Wildcard
- United Arab Emirates
Paraguay and Romania Deliver the Biggest Surprises
While many of the tournament favourites successfully secured qualification, the regional events still delivered several memorable storylines.
In the Americas, Canada dominated proceedings and comfortably secured the region’s top qualification slot. However, the standout story came from Paraguay, who bounced back from a difficult start to the competition and recorded four Chicken Dinners to complete an impressive comeback and claim the second available position.
The Asia Pacific qualifiers largely followed expectations, with Malaysia, Japan, and Chinese Taipei controlling the standings throughout much of the event. Indonesia secured the final qualification place but only after surviving a late challenge from New Zealand, who came close to producing a dramatic upset.
EMEA Delivers the Most Competitive Battle
The EMEA region proved to be the most unpredictable of the three qualifiers.
Türkiye recovered from a slow start to put together a strong run of performances and secure qualification, while pre-tournament favourites Germany and Great Britain faced far more resistance than many expected.
The biggest surprise came from Romania. After only narrowly progressing from the group stage, the team entered the final matches needing a standout performance to remain in contention. Romania delivered when it mattered most, securing 10 crucial eliminations alongside a second-place finish in the final match to lock down the fourth and final EMEA qualification spot.
The result capped off one of the most dramatic qualification stories across all three regions.
PUBG at ENC 2026 Format Explained
The PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS competition at ENC 2026 will begin on November 11 and conclude on November 15 with the Grand Final.
The tournament will open with a 24-team round-robin group stage featuring three groups of eight nations. Each group will compete across five matches as teams battle for one of 16 places in the next phase.
The top 16 teams will then advance to the Grand Final, where up to 10 matches will determine the first-ever PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS champion of the Esports Nations Cup.
The Road to Riyadh Continues
With nearly the full field now confirmed, anticipation is beginning to build for what promises to be one of the largest nation-based PUBG tournaments ever staged. The mix of established powerhouses, emerging nations, and surprise qualifiers should make for a fascinating competition when the action gets underway in Riyadh this November.
All that remains now is the announcement of the final Solidarity Wildcard nation, completing the 24-team line-up for the inaugural Esports Nations Cup 2026.
For even more news from the Rising World of eSports Head here
