Orangutan and GodLike become first Indian teams to reach PMWC Grand Finals at EWC 2026
Orangutan and GodLike Esports became the first Indian teams to qualify for the PUBG Mobile World Cup (PMWC) Grand Finals during Week 5 of the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, with the PMWC Grand Finals scheduled for August 14-16. The two sides secured top-five finishes in their respective PMWC groups to advance to the 16-team Grand Final that will contest a $3 million (~INR 28.5 crore) prize pool.
The PMWC group stage featured 32 teams split into two groups of 16, with each team playing 12 matches. Orangutan finished second in Group A with 91 points, 16 behind group leaders 4Thrives; GodLike Esports placed third in Group B with 105 points and recorded 73 finishes, the second-highest tally in their group. Those results ensured both Indian teams one of the five qualifying positions from their groups and a place in the August 14-16 Grand Finals.
Kuaishou Gaming won the Honor of Kings World Cup by defeating reigning EWC champions AG.AL 4-3 in the Grand Final after a 12-0 run through the group stage and playoffs. Kuaishou’s Grand Final victory earned the organisation a $600,000 (~INR 5.7 crore) share of the prize pool, and He “JuHao” Weijia was named SONY MVP, receiving an additional $25,000 (~INR 23.8 lakh). Following the win JuHao said: "I have so much inside of me I want to say, because back in the time when we were in China, in the KPL, we were facing so many obstacles and ups and downs," said JuHao, following Kuaishou Gaming’s win. "We kinda lost our confidence and faith in us, and I believe this title will be one motivation for us to fight harder. I believe we’ve got the best team, best players, best coaches. Thank you so much for having us here in Paris."
Khawaja “M. Zubair” Muhammad Zubair completed a TEKKEN 8 title run after qualifying through the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) and became the first recipient of the Jafonso Award at EWC 2026. Representing AG.AL, M. Zubair defeated Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique twice—once in the Group Stage and again in the semifinals—and then swept Yoon “LowHigh” Sun-woong 5-0 in the Grand Final. M. Zubair received $250,000 (~INR 2.3 crore) for the TEKKEN 8 title, an additional $50,000 (~INR47.6 lakh) for the Jafonso Award, and earned 1,000 Club Championship points on behalf of AG.AL.
OpTic Gaming claimed back-to-back EWC titles in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, defeating Team Heretics 5-3 in the Grand Final with the Green Wall behind them in the stc Arena. OpTic took a $600,000 share of the prize pool, and Anthony “Shotzzy” Cuevas-Castro was named SONY MVP for the second consecutive event, earning $25,000 and recording 655 eliminations across the competition.
In Rainbow Six Siege the group stage concluded and the final eight teams were set for the playoffs; play-in sides Fnatic and CAG by VARREL were eliminated. EWC 2025 winners Team Secret advanced with a 2-0 victory against Team Falcons, while Team Falcons, once considered contenders, exited the competition with no Club Championship points to their name.
The Club Championship leaderboard shifted after the weekend: AG.AL moved to first with 3,350 points, leading Team Falcons by 450 points (Team Falcons on 2,900). Natus Vincere remained third on 2,250 points, while Team Vitality and Virtus.pro were tied for fourth on 2,200 points. Team Falcons had entered the weekend atop the standings but dropped position after securing fourth in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and collecting only 200 points in TEKKEN 8.
The PMWC Grand Finals will take place from August 14 to August 16 with 16 teams competing for the $3 million (~INR 28.5 crore) prize pool, where Orangutan and GodLike Esports will contest the title.