PUBG Mobile and Gamers without Borders have revealed the first PUBG Mobile World Invitational (PMWI), which will see 32 teams representing their countries for a $3m charity pool starting on July 22nd.
The PMWI will be an online event split into two divisions, with a champion being crowned for each. The top teams from each division will be able to choose from multiple Humanitarian Aid organisations to receive its prize pool share, with the PUBG Mobile World Invitational supporting Gamers Without Borders’ mission of fighting COVID-19.
The PMWI will be held from July 22nd to 25th and divided into East and West tournaments, with 16 teams in each going head-to-head across 20 matches and three maps including Erangel, Sanhok and Miramar.
The UK side, Lakonostra MVP, will of course take part in the West tournament, and will feature players including Daddyyy (pictured).
“Following the success of PUBG Mobile World League Season Zero and PUBG Mobile Global Championship in 2020, I am excited to share that we are yet again expanding our global tournament offering with the World Invitational.”
James Yang, PUBG Mobile Global Esports
The full list of teams competing at the PMWI are:
PMWI East Teams
- A1 Esports (Bangladesh)
- Bigetron Red Aliens (Indonesia)
- BlackList International (Philippines)
- DRS Gaming (Nepal)
- DSGaming (South Korea)
- D’Xavier (Vietnam)
- Fanatic Zombies (United Arab Emirates)
- Geek Fam (Malaysia)
- NASR Esports (Jordan)
- Natus Vincere (Russia)
- REJECT (Japan)
- Stalwart Esports (Pakistan)
- Team Myths (Algeria)
- Valdus Esports (Thailand)
- Yalla Esports (Saudi Arabia)
- ZEUS Esports (Mongolia)
PMWI West Teams
- 19 Esports (Canada)
- Alpha7 Esports (Brazil)
- Chivas Esports (Mexico)
- Team Destiny (Germany)
- Ghost Gaming (U.S.A)
- Team GODSENT (Ukraine)
- GUNZ Esport (Iraq)
- Konina Power (Kazakhstan)
- Lakonostra MVP (United Kingdom)
- Next Rüya Gaming (Turkey)
- Team QLASH (France)
- RA’AD Esports (Egypt)
- RTG Esports (Morocco)
- Team ONYX (Georgia)
- Team Queso (Argentina)
- UDR Killers (Spain)
Gamers Without Borders will be making a $3m donation to the overall prize pool. It’s a charity esports festival organised by SAFEIS (the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports) and ESL, which helps the mission to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to underdeveloped countries.
OnePlus has been named as the official smartphone partner of PMWI.
James Yang, director of PUBG Mobile Global Esports, said: “Following the success of PUBG Mobile World League Season Zero and PUBG Mobile Global Championship in 2020, I am excited to share that we are yet again expanding our global tournament offering with the World Invitational. We are dedicated alongside Gamers Without Borders to continuing the fight against COVID so are thrilled to announce the $3m charity donation being made as part of the tournament.”
In other Gamers Without Borders news, UK Rocket League teams Endpoint and Top Blokes will be taking part in a separate Rocket League Elite Tournament, with UK talent also featuring in SK and Singularity.
Gamers Without Borders has come under fire in the past for its links with Saudi Arabia. Some esports fans have criticised and distanced themselves from the country for its human rights record and archaic and barbaric views towards LGBTQIA+ individuals. For example, British esports host Frankie Ward, who previously worked with Gamers Without Borders in the past, said she is not working with them again.
Elsewhere, last year, Riot Games came under fire from the League of Legends community over a now-cancelled sponsorship deal with NEOM, a tech city being developed in Saudi Arabia.
You can watch the PMWI from July 22nd to 25th on PUBG Mobile Esports’ YouTube, Facebook and Twitch channels, with PMWI East going live at 10am and PMWI West going live at 2:30pm
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
