PMWC at EWC 26: S2G Esports Weathers the Storm

S2G Esports entered the final day needing to build on a huge second-day performance after a slow start to the Grand Finals. The Turkish organization had already secured its place in the top four and had directly qualified for the Grand Finals through the Group Stage, consistently fighting near the top of the standings. The question was whether S2G could finally close the deal when the pressure peaked.

From slow start to title threat

S2G Esports once again struggled to get out of the gate, allowing fellow contenders eArena and Nongshim RedForce to reach Smash Rule match point in the opening game. A top-five finish in Game 2 helped S2G begin its climb, but the team still fell short of the 121 points needed to secure the victory.

A dramatic 13-kill performance in Game 15 pushed S2G onto Smash Rule match point, leaving the Turkish squad with three opportunities to land the final blow and claim the championship.

Consistency seals the title

On Smash Rule match point, S2G began making big plays. Aggressive rotations and some favorable zones helped the team reach the final circle in Game 16, its first opportunity to lift the trophy. Locked into the zone alongside FURIA and Aurora Gaming, however, S2G fell short, allowing Aurora to join the race for a Smash victory.

Game 17 was even more heartbreaking. S2G found itself as the final team alongside AlUla Club, but AlUla played spoiler, ending Türkiye’s top representative’s hopes of securing the championship through a Smash victory.

Heading into the final lobby, S2G was immediately targeted, falling early and finishing second-to-last in the game without earning any points. Sitting on 154 points, the championship was now out of S2G’s hands. All the Turkish squad could do was watch and hope their rivals failed to surpass them.

After a nail-biting final game, Nongshim RedForce and Aurora Gaming were eliminated, leaving only eArena with a chance to overtake S2G. With just one player remaining, eArena needed either a win or roughly a dozen eliminations to steal the championship. Instead, Nepalese team Horaa Esports delivered the decisive blow, sniping the final eArena player and handing S2G Esports the title.

Türkiye on top

The victory puts Türkiye back at the top of PUBG Mobile esports, while Faruk “HamsiG” Hamsici becomes a two-time PUBG Mobile world champion. HamsiG previously lifted a world title with S2G at the PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2022. S2G takes home $555,000 in prize money and 130 PUBG Mobile Global Championship points.

Tianba’s Zhang “Qzz” Qingbo earned both the SONY MVP and FMVP awards, taking home a $25,000 prize. Tianba delivered a standout performance in the Survival Stage and battled through player illness during the Grand Finals to finish fifth, earning $141,000 in prize money.

Club Championship points secured

The final PUBG Mobile World Cup standings also ended the hopes of Team Vitality and Aurora Gaming earning additional Club Championship points. Aurora narrowly missed out on a third-place finish, while Team Vitality finished 12th, leaving both clubs outside the points positions.