The PUBG Global Championship is just around the corner! With seven teams competing in PGC from the EMEA region, there’s a lot to dig into - so here’s everything you need to know about the EMEA teams competing in PGC 2023! (Presented for your enjoyment with some of their best plays from PEC)
Twisted Minds
It’s been one year since the star-studded squad of BatulinS, Lu, Perfect1ks and spyrro were signed by Twisted Minds - and what a year they’ve had! The team became the champions of The Rotation, the PGS 2 EMEA Qualifiers and the PUBG EMEA Championship: Fall.
Despite their near-total dominance in the EMEA region, Twisted Minds have yet to lift the PGC trophy - just narrowly losing out on the title behind NAVI and 17Gaming in last year’s PGC Grand Finals.
If Twisted Minds can capitalize on their momentum and secure a PGC Champion Title, they will go down in the history books as having one of the most dominant years ever in PUBG Esports. It’s all to play for.
FUT Esports
Since FUT signed Aitzy, Beami, TeaBone and vard last year, the squad has gone from strength to strength; they qualified to PGC by scoring the most PGC points in the EMEA region, and it’s easy to see why - their consistency is unmatched.
Even within EMEA’s top teams, FUT stands alone as being the only team that hasn’t really had a single subpar tournament performance throughout the whole year. Take a look at their performance in each regional tournament this year: 4th, 2nd, 2nd and 3rd. This is exactly the kind of level-headed consistency you need to bring to a global tournament like PGC; and while it’s the first time that this roster has played together at a global event, the players individually have a wealth of experience to draw on. One to watch.
FaZe Clan
In combination with their other strong finishes this year, FaZe Clan’s phenomenal second place finish at PEC: Fall was more than enough to catapult the all-star squad of Gustav, Fexx, curexi and Jeemzz to PGC 2023 Qualification.
With curexi and Jeemzz joining after last year’s PGC 2022, it will be the roster’s first PGC outing together - but unlike some of the other EMEA squads in attendance, the team has already competed together twice on the global stage this year, once at PGS 1 in Kuala Lumpur and again in PGS 2 in Riyadh. While neither of those PGS performances were admittedly much to write home about, they allowed the team to get acclimatized to competing together and refine their strategy - which seems to be paying dividends, as they looked downright unstoppable during EMEA’s most recent event (PEC: Fall) just a few short weeks ago.
With a roster of some of EMEA’s most explosive fraggers, we may well have a FaZe Sunday on our hands on the last day of the PGC Grand Finals!
Acend
The all-German & Austrian roster of Braexco, ItzZChrizZ, KILYAKAi and Myca are making their PGC debut this month, and no doubt they’ll be joining the tournament with something to prove.
As a team, Acend have gone from strength to strength this year - in March, they had a phenomenal second place finish in PEC: Spring, which netted them a spot at PGS 1 in Malaysia - where they came within inches of winning the global tournament with a second place finish.
Although they have less global LAN experience than some of the other EMEA teams (with the exception of ItzZChrizZ and Braexco, who played together on a different roster at PGC 2019), the few outings they have had on the global stage have proven to be impressive to say the least.
They’ve absolutely proven that they can perform in high-pressure situations against the world’s best teams, so keep an eye on these DACH superstars during PGC 2023.
HOWL
As the sole MEA representation at this year’s PGC, HOWL will also be aiming to make a big impression! The roster of TheMad, RuerN, LAHZA, Scof1eld have undoubtedly proven their prowess on the regional circuit, with impressive finishes since PCS6 to present day - including a phenomenal tournament win in PEC: Spring.
While still relatively new to the global stage, the team has accrued some impressive international experience this year, with a respectable middle of the pack finish in PGS 1 (following a very strong performance in the winner’s bracket) - not to mention that three of the HOWL players also represented Türkiye at this year’s PUBG Nations Cup.
Question Mark
Time and time again, Question Mark (ADOUZ1E, DaNt3, f1lfirst and Bestoloch) have proven their mettle on both the regional and global circuit.
While they had a slower start to 2023 than some of the other participating teams, they were able to secure their ticket to Bangkok with two truly phenomenal tournament runs at the end of the year - firstly in PGS 2 with a masterful third place finish (after breezing through the regional qualifiers in second place), which was promptly followed up with a very strong fourth place finish in PEC: Fall - after qualifying all the way from Open Qualifiers!
If there’s anything we can learn from QM’s performance over the last year and a half, it’s that they are a team who won’t fold under pressure - and that alone makes them worth looking out for at PGC 2023!
Exalt
If you’re looking to cheer for a wildcard team with some serious star power, Exalt has got you covered!
With the recent addition of veteran PUBG Esports star Ubah to the existing squad of Art1_x, fate and Molodoct, Exalt is shooting for new heights. With a podium finish in PEC: Spring, there’s no question that this is a team that can compete with EMEA’s best.
While they seemed to have a few teething issues in PEC: Fall following the change, it’s probably fair to say that we haven’t yet seen the best that Exalt can offer - as the squad had to replace another team on short notice and Ubah was not available to compete in the Grand Finals, which may explain their poor performance in PEC: Fall.
Looking ahead to PGC, if the team has been refining their strategy and practicing hard, be prepared for a very different story to play out – it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a reigning World Champion on your squad!
Be sure to catch all of the PGC 2023 action live from November 17 - with individual team perspectives streaming right here on pubgesports.com!
Check out the full schedule at https://pubgesports.com/en/schedule?DATE=2023-11-18
See you on the Battlegrounds!