PUBG Esports World Cup 2026: Title favourites in Paris

Organisers moved the PUBG: Battlegrounds Esports World Cup Grand Finals from Riyadh to Paris on short notice. The tournament brings top professional PUBG teams together to compete for a $2.025 million prize pool.

Made in Thailand arrive in Paris as the betting favourite after winning Circuit 2 Series 1 and the Circuit 2 Series Final. The team has not finished lower than second in recent events; bookmakers list them near 11/2.

Virtus.pro finished second in the PGC standings, won the Circuit 1 Series Final, placed fifth at the Circuit 2 Series Final and took second at the EMEA Championship this year. Those results keep the European side in contention for the title.

Team Vitality is France’s sole representative in the PUBG field after Karmine Corp and Gentle Mates chose not to enter rosters. Vitality’s best results this year include fourth place at the Spring EMEA Championship and a top-eight finish at the Circuit 2 Series Final.

Twisted Minds enter as the defending Esports World Cup champions. The roster, majority Russian, recorded two third-place finishes in recent months and has prior success on the World Cup stage. Pre-tournament pricing places them around 8/1.

Other teams on the shorter end of the odds include 17 Gaming and NAVI, both priced near 6/1. Overall pre-tournament odds run from roughly 11/2 for the favourite to 100/1 for longshots.

The change of venue did not affect the prize pool and allowed more local fans to attend. The Grand Finals in Paris will determine which squad secures the championship and the largest share of the $2.025 million fund.