A team from India will receive a direct invite to the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) 2021 Finals, Tencent confirmed today.
When the format for the PMGC was announced last month, Indian fans were disappointed to see that no slot for an Indian team is being reserved in the league stage. The league stage has been divided into the East and West, with 20 teams competing in each region.
It will run from Nov. 30 to Dec. 24 with the top nine and six teams from the East and West respectively qualifying for the finals. These 15 teams will be joined by an invited team from India to compete for the title of PUBG Mobile world champions. The finals will take place from Jan. 21 to 23.
Related: PMGC 2021 grand finals will be a ‘semi-LAN’ event
Tencent hasn’t revealed on what basis the invited slot to the PMGC finals will be given. It is likely, however, that the invite will go to the winner of the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series 2021, which is the first major tournament since the game’s return. It features open qualifiers leading to finals on Jan. 13 to 16. Dot Esports has reached out to Tencent for clarification.
The PMGC Finals will mark India’s return to the global esports roadmap for PUBG Mobile for the first time since the World League (PMWL) in July 2020. PUBG Mobile was banned in India on Sept. 2, 2020, due to which esports competitions in the country were stopped. India is a major region for PUBG Mobile, and a team from the country in the PMGC Finals will definitely drive viewership numbers up.
