The PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) 2025 Gauntlet Stage has wrapped up with Saudi Arabia’s R8 Esports being the standout performer.
The team, which placed 18th at the World Cup earlier this year, came out on top during the Gauntlet Stage, ahead of favourites like China’s ThunderTalk Gaming and Brazil’s Alpha7.
PMGC Gauntlet Stage – How it Happened
The PMGC 2025’s Gauntlet took place from November 24th to 26th as 16 teams competed across three days for seven slots to the grand finals.
There was breathing room for teams, as not placing in the top seven didn’t mean elimination, but instead falling to the group stage.
At the start, ThunderTalk Gaming, hailing from the competitive China region, was placed at the top of the standings. The team had shown tremendous consistency on the first day, picking two chicken dinners and two third-place finishes from the six matches.
This performance carried over to day two as the team continued to reign at the top of the standings.
However, on day three, ThunderTalk was not able to continue its domination, only amassing 34 points through the day, with its highest position on the day being fifth place in match 13.
This gave an opportunity for R8 Esports to climb the rankings with an eight-kill first place, along with two other top-five finishes.
The battle for the grand finals slot also went into the last game. This is because as many as five teams were in contention for the 6th and 7th place.
However, throughout the match, these teams quickly fell until eventually it was DRX and Orangutan that were left among the contenders in the top five.
DRX was able to take down OG subsequently, catching the team off mid-rotation on Miramar. However, DRX itself ultimately fell to Regnum Carya to place second, missing out on the grand finals by a mere two points.
As a result, the seven teams that have qualified for the PMGC 2025 Grand Finals are: Alpha7 Esports, D’Xavier, Kara Esports, MadBulls, R8 Esports, ThunderTalk Gaming, ULF Esports and Vampire Esports.
PMGC Group Stage to begin on November 28th
DRX and the other teams still have a chance to make it to the grand finals. The PMGC 2025 Group Stage will begin from November 28th as 32 teams compete for six slots to the grand finals. The teams have been split into two groups of 16 teams each.
