KRAFTON Kicks Off PUBG Nations Cup 2026

KRAFTON, Inc. today announced the start of the Grand Finals of PUBG Nations Cup (PNC) 2026 at Jangchung Arena in Seoul. Sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the tournament features 120 players from 24 countries around the world.

PNC is a national team tournament where top PUBG Esports players represent their countries and compete for the championship. Fueled by the passion of players representing their nations and the fan energy that comes with it, PNC has become one of PUBG Esports' marquee events. The Survival Stage was held from June 23 to 24 at PUBG Seongsu, with the Grand Finals taking place from June 26 to 28 at Jangchung Arena.

Following the Survival Stage, eight teams secured their spots in the Grand Finals, including Ukraine, Türkiye, Denmark, Argentina, the United Kingdom, and the Philippines. They will compete for the championship alongside eight teams that advanced directly based on last year's results: defending champions Vietnam, Korea, China, Thailand, the United States, Germany, Brazil, and Indonesia.

Tickets for the first day of the Grand Finals sold out within 10 minutes after sales opened at 9:00 p.m. on June 5, and 5,000 spectators are expected to attend across the three days of the Grand Finals. This response reflects the continued interest in PUBG Esports, which was also seen during PUBG Global Series (PGS) Circuit 2, which saw the combined peak concurrent viewership across its three series surpass 880,000, setting a new all-time high. Total watch time also reached 7,106,564 hours, up 20% from the previous tournament.

The event will also feature matchups between top players from around the world, including the United States' "Shrimzy", Korea's "Heaven" Tae-seong Kim, Vietnam's "Himass", and China's "LilGhost", who are set to compete in a highly contested field. The United Kingdom will also look to reclaim the title after its 2022 championship win.

The Grand Finals will consist of 15 matches. Final rankings will be determined by the combined total of kill points and placement points earned across all matches. The total prize pool is USD 500,000, with an additional 25% of revenue from this tournament’s event pass and item sales to be added and distributed based on final results.

Matches will be broadcast on the official PUBG Esports YouTube channel, Twitch, and Kick. Viewers who watch the matches on official channels can participate in Drops events and receive in-game items based on watch time. On-site spectators will also be able to take part in quiz events during match intermissions.

As PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS celebrates its 9th anniversary this year, the title once again surpassed 1.3 million peak concurrent users in March, following a similar milestone reached in March last year, demonstrating sustained growth. KRAFTON will continue to strengthen PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS as an IP with a long product lifecycle (PLC), while expanding the franchise beyond games into broader cultural touchpoints and deepening engagement with users.

For more information, please visit the official tournament website.