17 Gaming won the PUBG: Battlegrounds title at the Games of the Future 2026 in Astana after a closely fought tournament that was decided in the 15th and final match.
PUBG, which stands for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, is a globally popular battle royale video game and a major competitive esports title.
The competition, held at Beeline Arena, brought together 16 of the world's leading teams. 17 Gaming finished top of the standings with 131 points, 11 points ahead of runners-up GAM The Expendables. Team Vitality secured third place with 106 points.
The three-day competition remained wide open until the final round, with teams competing for a share of the tournament's $1 million prize fund.
The champions, 17 Gaming, received $300,000 in prize money, while GAM The Expendables earned $120,000. Team Vitality took home $100,000 for finishing third.
The players of 17 Gaming said interest in PUBG esports continues to grow as more competitions are organised around the world. They also praised their experience in Astana, highlighting the city's food despite the high summer temperatures.
Team Vitality player Artyom Baskakov said the final day was particularly challenging because the location of the in-game zones did not favour his team.
Despite the difficult conditions, Team Vitality continued to collect points by maintaining its preferred style of play, looking for opportunities to engage opponents and communicating consistently throughout the matches.
Their performance was enough to secure third place and a place on the podium.
Kazakhstan's DIGA Esports finished 14th with 59 points and received $15,000 in prize money.
One of the team's strongest performances came in the eighth match, when DIGA claimed victory in front of the home crowd. Spectators at Beeline Arena responded with a standing ovation.
DIGA player Sanzhar Kaliyev described the tournament as valuable experience for the Kazakh team, which competed against some of the world's strongest PUBG sides.
He said several DIGA players had never previously competed at an event of this level. The team used the opening day to adapt, became more comfortable during the second day and produced an improved performance in the final matches.
Kaliyev said finishing 14th was a respectable result given the quality and experience of the other teams.
The Games of the Future 2026 are being held in Astana from 29 July to 9 August.
More than 800 competitors from 34 countries are taking part in eight disciplines across four venues. The event combines esports, traditional sport and technology, with a total prize fund of $4.65 million.
Kazakhstan is represented by 11 teams and individual competitors across the event's different disciplines.
Russia reported a major fire at an Ozon logistics hub in Krasnodar after a drone attack on Monday, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelens...
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffi...
Icelanders will vote on Saturday, 29 August, on whether to begin negotiations with the European Union, in a referendum that could reopen the countr...
Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners including China.
A large-scale drone attack has hit Russia's Samara region, damaging facilities and disrupting operations at an Ozon logistics complex, according to regional authorities and the company.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected calls for a wartime election, arguing that holding a vote while Russia's full-scale invasion continues would divide the country and undermine national unity.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of August, covering the latest developments.
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have elevated bilateral ties with a Treaty on Eternal Friendship signed by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent on 23 August. The leaders also agreed to expand trade, investment, transport, and regional cooperation.
Russia reported a major fire at an Ozon logistics hub in Krasnodar after a drone attack on Monday, while Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied Kyiv’s official involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline blasts.
Icelanders will vote on Saturday, 29 August, on whether to begin negotiations with the European Union, in a referendum that could reopen the country’s long-debated membership question.
At least 30 people have been killed after a massive landfill collapsed onto homes in Guinea's capital, Conakry, following heavy overnight rainfall that triggered a deadly landslide of waste in one of the city's densely populated districts.
Canada has rejected a proposed trade agreement with the United States after negotiations broke down over what Ottawa described as a series of last-minute demands that would have disproportionately favoured Washington and undermined Canadian economic interests.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive 70,000 doses of the Ebola vaccine Ervebo as health authorities race to contain what has become the country's largest Ebola outbreak on record.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment