Mobile esports has never had anything like this. The Esports Nations Cup 2026 is bringing national teams to Riyadh this November, and both Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and PUBG Mobile made the cut for the inaugural 16-title lineup. We are talking about 32 national squads per game, a combined prize pool running into the millions, and a roster deadline that is just days away.
If you play MLBB or PUBG Mobile competitively, this one should be on your radar. Here is what you need to know.
What Is the Esports Nations Cup?
The Esports Nations Cup is a brand-new competition organized by the Esports World Cup Foundation. Think of it as a World Cup for esports, except instead of clubs, players represent their countries. The whole event runs from November 2 to November 29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 16 different game titles and a total prize pool of $20 million.
This is the first time mobile esports titles share a stage with CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, VALORANT, and others in a nation-versus-nation format at this scale. MLBB was announced as the very first confirmed title back in January during the M7 World Championship in Jakarta. PUBG Mobile followed a month later.
The entire structure mirrors traditional sports: countries appoint National Team Partners who select coaches, and those coaches build the rosters. Over 730 coaches across 100+ nations have already been approved by the Esports Foundation.
MLBB at ENC 2026: Format and Prize Pool
The MLBB tournament occupies the final week of the ENC, running from November 23 to November 29. Every match takes place on LAN.
Format breakdown:
| Stage | Teams | Format |
| Group Stage | 32 teams (4 groups of 8) | Bo2 round robin |
| Playoffs | Top 16 (4 per group) | Bo5 single elimination |
| Grand Final | Top 2 | Bo7 |
The prize pool sits at $1,864,000 total, split between $1,500,000 in direct prize money and $364,000 in club incentives. The winner walks away with $300,000 in prize money plus an extra $20,000 per player going back to their home clubs.
Full MLBB prize distribution:
| Placement | Prize Money | Club Incentive (Per Player) |
| 1st | $300,000 | $20,000 |
| 2nd | $180,000 | $12,000 |
| 3rd | $90,000 | $6,000 |
| 4th | $60,000 | $4,000 |
| 5th-8th | $43,500 | $2,900 |
| 9th-16th | $36,000 | $2,400 |
| 17th-20th | $30,000 | – |
| 21st-24th | $27,000 | – |
| 25th-28th | $24,000 | – |
16 teams earn direct invites through the ENC Ranking system, which aggregates individual player points from international, regional, and national MLBB competitions. A country’s score equals the combined points of the top five players on its submitted roster. The ranking cutoff is August 2, right after the Mid Season Cup at EWC 2026. Another 14 teams qualify through regional online qualifiers (August 14-16), and 2 wildcard slots round out the field.
PUBG Mobile at ENC 2026: Squads on the World Stage
PUBG Mobile runs earlier in the schedule, from November 3 to November 8. Same city, same LAN setup, different kind of pressure.
32 national teams compete in four-player squads. The structure follows a round-robin group stage with four groups of eight, feeding into a 16-team Grand Final over three days. The finals use the Smash Rule system with up to 18 matches, a format PUBG Mobile fans already know from PMGC and PMWC events.
The PUBG Mobile prize pool is $1,320,000. Qualification works through a tiered model: 12 direct invites based on the PUBG Mobile National Team Ranking (calculated from 2025 PMWC, PMGC, and 2026 PMGO results), 4 special invites, 14 regional qualifier spots (July 10-12), and 2 wildcards.
Roster Rules: No Club Stacking Allowed
One of the most interesting parts of the ENC format is the roster restriction system. Organizers built rules specifically to prevent a single professional club from taking over a national team.
For 5v5 titles like MLBB, a roster can include a maximum of 3 players from the same organization, with no more than 2 substitutes from the same team. For 4v4 titles like PUBG Mobile, the cap drops to 2 players per org, with up to 2 substitutes from the same team as well. Players must hold the nationality of the country they represent, and anyone with dual citizenship can only pick one nation for the entire ENC 2026 season.
Coaches face no nationality restrictions at all. A Brazilian coach can lead the Malaysian MLBB squad if the National Team Manager sees fit. The point is to get the best tactical minds involved, regardless of passport.
The Deadline Is May 10
Coaches originally had until April 30 to submit their completed rosters. That deadline got pushed to May 10 to give them more time to finalize selections. With the date now just 4 days away, the player registration phase that launched in early May is entering crunch mode.
If you have been following roster rumors on social media, expect a flood of confirmations in the next 72 hours. National Team Managers across every participating territory are locking in their final picks right now.
Which Countries Should You Watch?
MLBB: The Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia remain the obvious powerhouses. Filipino players have dominated recent international events, with Aurora Gaming PH taking the M7 World Championship in January with a clean 4-0 sweep over Alter Ego in the grand final. Indonesia and Malaysia both have deep talent pools across multiple MPL rosters, and the 3-player-per-org rule means coaches will be pulling from several teams to build the strongest possible lineup. Keep an eye on emerging regions too. Brazil, boosted by a growing MLBB scene, and MENA countries with home crowd advantage in Riyadh could spring surprises.
PUBG Mobile: Southeast Asian and South Asian squads have traditionally performed well at the highest level of PUBG Mobile competition. Indonesia, Thailand, and India all have multiple strong club rosters to draw from. The MENA region also fields serious contenders, with competitive infrastructure that has grown through the EWC ecosystem.
Why ENC Matters for Mobile Esports
Mobile titles at the Esports Nations Cup 2026 share the same stage and the same legitimacy as Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, and Dota 2. The ENC pays winners $50,000 per player per title across all 16 games, using an equal payout per placement model. That means an MLBB champion earns the same per-player reward as a CS2 champion.
For a scene that has spent years fighting for recognition alongside PC esports, that kind of parity is new. The total ENC commitment goes beyond the $20 million prize pool: the Esports Foundation has pledged $45 million overall, broken into $20M in direct prize money, $5M in club incentives for organizations releasing players, and $20M in a development fund supporting National Team Partners with travel, training, and infrastructure.
MLBB and PUBG Mobile both debut at the Esports Nations Cup in November. Roster locks hit on Saturday. The countdown to Riyadh starts now.
