2021 was an amazing year for PUBG Esports in the Americas region - we saw teams rise and fall, players continue to exceed what we thought was possible, and the region once again displayed their prowess on the world stage.

The PUBG Esports ecosystem is continuing to grow and develop in 2022 and once again ESL is proud to be a part of it, with the return of ESL PUBG Masters. These two events will give teams opportunities to earn PGC Qualification Points, featuring prize pools of $50,000USD respectively. These events will be crucial to helping teams qualify for PGC 2022 in November.

Registration is open NOW so go sign up your team for your shot at being the ESL PUBG Masters Champion!

ESL PUBG Masters Format

ESL PUBG Masters will utilize the same rules format as the PCS, following the return of the SUPER Point Rule. Teams will have the opportunity to compete in Open Qualifiers to make their way to the finals, with NA and LATAM having separate Open Qualifiers and Regional Playoffs.

ESL PUBG Masters Americas - 2022 Phase 1

The event will be broken down into three stages - Open Qualifiers, Regional Playoffs, and Grand Final and will utilize the SUPER Point Rule scoring system for all rounds.

The Open Qualifiers will be held separately for each sub-region (NA & LATAM) and support up to 160 teams. Each round will last 2 days with 6 matches each day (12 total matches per round). Depending on the total number of registered teams, there will be 3 or 4 rounds total. In the case of there being 4 rounds, the Round of 128 and Round of 64 will each be 1 day of 6 matches each. The Round of 32 and Round of 16 will be 2 days of 6 matches each day, regardless of the number of registered teams.

Dates for Open Qualifiers:

• Round 1 - February 9th & 10th
  • In case of needing a Round of 128:
  • Round of 128 - February 9th
  • Round of 64 - February 10th
• Round 2 - February 12th & 13th
• Round 3 - February 15th & 16t

Upon completion of the Round of 16, the top 8 teams from each sub-region will move to their respective Regional Playoff. There, they will find themselves competing against 16 teams who have been invited based on their performance at PCS5 Americas. The 24 teams from the Regional Playoff will be divided into 3 groups of 8. Each group will play the others over the course of a 6-match day, making the Regional Playoff a 3 day event.

Dates for Regional Playoffs:

• Match Day 1 - Group A vs. Group B - Friday, February 18th
• Match Day 2 - Group B vs. Group C - Saturday, February 19th
• Match Day 3 - Group C vs. Group A - Sunday, February 20th

*Group Matchups are subject to change

Teams will be scored on a cumulative leaderboard with the top 10 teams from the NA Regional Playoff leaderboard and top 6 teams from the LATAM Regional Playoff leaderboard moving on to the ESL PUBG Masters Americas Phase 1 Grand Final. The 10/6 team breakdown is based on the results of the PCS5 Americas Last Chance Qualifier (PCS5 LCQ). See the Rulebook for further details.

Once the final 16 teams are set, they will battle it out over the course of a two-week period consisting of 3 match days per week and 5 matches per day (30 matches total). The Grand Final will use the SUPER Point Rule scoring system and have one cumulative leaderboard spanning all 30 matches to determine who will claim their share of the $50,000 in prize money and those all-important PGC Qualification Points.

Grand Final Dates:

• Week 1: Friday, February 25th to Sunday, February 27th
• Week 2: Friday, March 4th to Sunday, March 6th

ESL PUBG Masters Prize Pool

It’s a long journey to the finals, and while points are crucial, it’s also nice to be walking away with a chunk of that $50,000 prize pool. The first place team will find themselves leaving with $12,500! They will be able to treat themselves to one very nice chicken dinner.

Return of PGC Qualification Points

Back once again in 2022 are PGC Qualification Points! The system remains the same from 2021 - secure a top 16 placement in one of the main four events and you earn PGC Qualification Points. The exact breakdown of points can be found below.

2022 is shaping up to be another amazing year for PUBG Esports. Be sure to stay up to date with all of the action over at @ESLPUBG and @PUBGEsports, and be sure to tweet using the hashtag #ESLPUBGMasters!

We are looking forward to seeing all the teams compete and showcase what the Americas can do!