PUBG Esports publisher KRAFTON has announced the 12 Global Partner Teams that will form the cornerstone of its 2026 competitive season, offering guaranteed entry to all PGS series, exclusive cosmetic items, and direct financial backing. The selection includes established organisations such as Natus Vincere (NAVI), Gen.G, and Virtus.pro, alongside regional powers like China’s 17 Gaming and Petrichor Road.
The full list of 2026 Global Partner Teams is as follows: 17 Gaming, 4AM, Anyone’s Legend, DN SOOPers, eArena, FULL SENSE, Gen.G, NAVI, Petrichor Road, Team Falcons, Twisted Minds, and Virtus.pro.
According to the announcement, the programme is designed to provide stability for participating teams while preserving pathways for challenger organisations to qualify through regional competitions.
The partner system guarantees each selected team entry to all 12 PGS series across four annual Global Circuits. Teams will also receive exclusive in-game skin releases with revenue-sharing arrangements, alongside annual operational funding intended to support long-term roster construction and strategic planning. The publisher stated that the selection process was highly competitive, with many organisations vying for the 12 available slots.
“Our collaboration with Global Partner Teams goes beyond providing a single season’s participation rights—it’s a long-term partnership aimed at growing together over multiple seasons,” PUBG Esports said in its announcement. “With Partner Teams providing season-long stability while challenger teams can threaten their position at any time, the 2026 season aims to build a healthy ecosystem where coexistence and competition thrive together.”
The programme explicitly maintains open competition pathways. Non-partner organisations can still qualify for PGS events through strong performances in Regional Series, and the PUBG Global Championship (PGC) remains accessible to all teams based on cumulative results across both PGS and regional circuits. This structure mirrors approaches seen elsewhere in the esports industry, where guaranteed partner slots coexist with open qualification routes.
The announcement arrives in the same week KRAFTON reported record financial results for the 2025 fiscal year. The South Korean publisher posted annual revenue of KRW 3.3266 trillion (approximately $2.49 billion USD), a 22.8% increase year-on-year, with operating profit of KRW 1.0544 trillion ($789 million). The PUBG IP franchise drove much of this growth, with PUBG: Battlegounds on PC achieving its highest-ever annual revenue—up 16% from 2024—and mobile titles PUBG Mobile and BGMI (Indian version of PUBG Mobile) recording increases in paying users of 5% and 27% respectively.
KRAFTON also unveiled its largest-ever shareholder return programme, committing to return a minimum of KRW 1 trillion ($748 million) to investors over three years through dividends and share buybacks. The company’s 2026 strategic vision includes evolving PUBG into a “2.0” platform via Unreal Engine 5, expanding user-generated content capabilities, and pursuing mergers and acquisitions to secure new intellectual property.
The financial context is significant for PUBG Esports. Sustained revenue growth from the core franchise provides the parent company with operational cash flow to fund initiatives such as the Partner Programme’s team support funding and prize pools.
The 2026 season will mark the first full campaign under this revised partner structure. Regional Series competitions are expected to determine which challenger organisations earn the right to face the 12 selected teams on the global stage.
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