BMPS 2026 returns on May 6 with 64 teams, a leaner format and two Esports World Cup slots
Krafton has nailed down the dates and shape of BMPS 2026, BGMI's flagship Indian event, and it is shorter, leaner and more selective than last year's edition. The Battlegrounds Mobile India Pro Series will start on May 6, run through to the back end of June, and finish at the Jaipur Convention Center on June 21. Two slots at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh sit on top of the ₹2 crore prize pool, with the field split between fewer teams and a tighter schedule than the 96-side draw that crowned Aryan x TMG in 2025.
A 64-team field and a new promotion-relegation system
The biggest change is the team count. BMPS 2025 pulled in 96 invited squads, with the field built around the previous season's results and a sprawling open qualifier path. This time Krafton has cut the invite list down to 64, drawing entirely on rankings from BMPS 2025, BGMS, BGIS and the India Rising Series. The thinking is straightforward: keep the field tight, the matches competitive, and the path through the tournament uncluttered for the teams who have been earning their spot for the past year.
The 64 sides land in four groups of 16, labelled A through D, for a Qualifiers stage that runs across May. From there, a Survival Stage on June 2 to 5 narrows the field down before 24 teams head into the Semifinals from June 9 to 12 in a double round-robin. The top six advance straight to the Grand Finals; the bottom two go home; the rest fight through a Last Chance bracket on June 13 and 14. The new promotion-relegation thread runs underneath all of it, rewarding teams that finish high enough to avoid being knocked out of the next BMPS cycle.
Jaipur, the EWC slot, and what's at stake
The 16 surviving teams will play out the Grand Finals at the Jaipur Convention Center from June 19 to 21. Beyond the cash prize, the tournament's biggest carrot is the route it opens to the Esports World Cup in Riyadh. Krafton has confirmed that BMPS 2026's top finishers will earn two of the BGMI slots at the EWC, the global event Indian organisations have started building their year around.
The usual heavyweights are widely expected to feature. Team Soul, who won the very first BMPS in 2022 and recently lifted BGIS 2026 in Chennai, head a list that also features GodLike, Orangutan and Revenant XSpark. Aryan x TMG, last year's champion, will defend its title in a field where they no longer enjoy the cushion of a 96-team draw. With the path narrower, the matches sharper, and a domestic title and a World Cup ticket both up for grabs, BMPS 2026 looks like the most consequential edition Krafton has put together yet.
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