GodLike Esports have reportedly secured the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) 2021 finals invite from India despite placing fourth in the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS).
Ocean Sharma, one of the casters for the BGIS, revealed in a livestream that GodLike will move on to the PMGC. Several Indian news outlets have also reported that the slot has been given to the fan-favorite team. Instagram posts by the org’s founder, Chetan “Kronten” Chandgude, and other members of the team, have confirmed the news as well.
Tencent and Krafton have yet to officially announce GodLike will be playing in the PMGC.
The invite was intended to go to the winner of the BGIS. But teams had to meet certain requirements to be able to travel to Dubai to compete in the PMGC, which will take place from Jan. 21 to 23. This included at least two players from each team having a valid passport with six months validity, being fully vaccinated, and a negative test for COVID-19. Teams were meant to submit the supporting documents before 11pm IST on Jan. 16. Failing to do so would result in the next highest place team getting the PMGC slot.
Related: Results for the Battlegrounds Mobile India Series (BGIS) grand finals
It seems that the three teams above GodLike esports in the BGIS finals haven’t met the requirements. The analyst for Skylightz Gaming, which finished in first place, revealed in an Instagram story that Tushar “GamlaBoy” Das wasn’t able to apply for a passport because he had recently tested positive for COVID-19. The team’s Pukar Singla is a minor and not fully vaccinated. India launched vaccination for children aged 15 to 18 earlier this month.
TSM India’s manager Nizhum Karmakar told Dot Esports that only two of the team’s players had passports. Karmakar added that a third player’s passport would be arriving today.
It’s unclear what requirements third-placed Team XO failed to meet, but the team has also been denied the PMGC slot.
GodLike will now likely fly out to Dubai in a day or two to play in the PMGC finals against 15 other teams from around the world. The competition features a total prize pool of more than $3 million, which is the highest figure in the history of PUBG Mobile esports. A total of 18 matches will take place across the three days to crown a champion.
GodLike and Brazil’s Alpha7 are the only two teams who will travel to Dubai for the event. Six teams will be playing from Singapore while the remaining teams compete remotely.
