Cancel your plans for 30 October to 1 November. Or, if you are a responsible adult with a job, at least keep a tab open. The Battlegrounds Mobile India International Cup is coming to Mumbai, and it is the closest thing BGMI has to a World Cup with a passport stamp.
The 60-second version
- When: 30 October to 1 November 2026
- Where: NSCI Dome, Mumbai
- Who: 16 teams. Six from India, five from South Korea, five from Japan
- Matches: 18, which works out to six a day over three days
- Prize pool: ₹1,00,00,000 (one crore), with ₹30 lakh for the champions
- The real prize: two places on the global stage
If a friend asks what is going on this weekend, that list is your answer. You are welcome.
Wait, what is BMIC?
BMIC is the international cup run by Krafton India Esports. This is its second season. Last season the trophy flew out of the country: the Cup went to Korea. India's six teams arrive with a very simple mission statement, which is "not again, and definitely not in our own city."
Home advantage is real. A Mumbai crowd, a Mumbai stage and six local flags. Whether it helps or just adds pressure is the fun part.
Who is playing
The Indian six are the top finishers from the BGMI Showdown (BMSD) in Hyderabad, which ended on 18 October. In order:
- iQOO SOUL: BMSD champions and the BGIS 2026 champions too. The team to catch.
- Gladiators Esports: runners-up in Hyderabad, and the team with the most placement points in that Grand Finals (58). Excellent at surviving circles.
- iQOO 8BIT: third, with three chicken dinners (more than anyone) and the tournament MVP, Shubh.
- K9 Esports: fourth. Their player Taurus tied for the most finishes of the whole Grand Finals with 33.
- Blitz Epigrotive Gaming: fifth, and home of Areeb, the Best IGL at BMSD.
- Outrage Esports: sixth in Hyderabad, and the last of the six Indian qualifiers.
The visitors are five teams from Korea (two from the Korean Esports League, three from the PUBG Mobile Pro Series) and five from Japan (from the Japan League). Their exact line-ups are on the official event page, and we recommend not pretending you know all their IGNs. Nobody does yet.
A short conversation you will probably have this week
A fictional chat between two friends, Priya (new to BGMI) and Rohan (has opinions about everything). The rules and numbers are real; the banter is ours.
Priya: So how many Indian teams are in this thing?
Rohan: Six out of sixteen.
Priya: That feels low. Where are the other ten from?
Rohan: Five from Korea, five from Japan. It is an international cup, not an Indian cup with guests.
Priya: And the winner gets ₹30 lakh?
Rohan: Thirty percent of the entire prize pool, yes. Which is why nobody will be sleeping much.
Priya: And last place?
Rohan: ₹1,25,000. Even the last team on the leaderboard goes home with a very respectable souvenir.
Follow the money
The official prize table pays all sixteen teams:
- 1st: ₹30,00,000
- 2nd: ₹15,00,000
- 3rd: ₹10,00,000
- 4th: ₹7,50,000
- 5th: ₹6,25,000
- 6th: ₹4,50,000
- 7th and 8th: ₹3,75,000 each
- 9th and 10th: ₹2,50,000 each
- 11th and 12th: ₹2,00,000 each
- 13th and 14th: ₹1,50,000 each
- 15th and 16th: ₹1,25,000 each
Notice the first-place cheque is exactly twice the second-place cheque. That is the tournament's way of saying "winning matters, and second is just first place's sad cousin."
On top of that, three individual awards: Google Play MVP (₹2,50,000), Best IGL (₹1,25,000) and Best Clutch (₹1,00,000). If you have ever won a 1v4 in your lobby and told everyone about it for a week, imagine doing it on a stage.
Three storylines to watch
1. Can anyone stop SOUL? They won the first and last majors of the season. They also finished 13th at BMPS in between, so even the best team has an off event. Which SOUL turns up in Mumbai is the biggest question in the bracket.
2. The chasers are close. In Hyderabad the gap from first to third was 15 points: SOUL 155, Gladiators 141, 8BIT 140. That is less than one good chicken dinner. Expect the top three Indian teams to swap places often.
3. The unknowns. Ten of the sixteen teams come from outside India, and most of us have not seen them play in a lobby this big. The honest prediction is that day one will teach everyone something. Check the leaderboard after the first match, then try to remember what you predicted. We will be quietly deleting our notes.
How to watch without losing the plot
- Watch the Finish column first. Finishes (eliminations) are worth one point each. Teams that stack finishes can climb fast.
- Then look at the chicken dinners. A win is worth 10 placement points on its own, and it is also the moment a tournament usually turns.
- Do not panic after match one. Bigger-than-it-looks comebacks have happened this season. One team went from last place after Day 1 to champions at BMPS, according to the organisers.
- Not sure how the scoring works? Our scoreboard guide takes about five minutes and has jokes.
Quick FAQ
Is it played in person? Yes, the teams play on stage at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai.
How many matches in total? 18, six on each day.
Where do I watch? Broadcasts are listed on the official Krafton India Esports YouTube channel. Check there for match start times, as we want you to see them first-hand.
Which team should I support? Pick a favourite based on a vibe, then retire the vibe if they finish 14th. Everyone does it.
Sources: Krafton India Esports (event page and prize table); Outlook Respawn (BMSD qualification); Liquipedia (qualification format by country).
