BMIC 2026 in Mumbai: Korean Teams Lead the BGMI International Cup as Alan Walker Opens the Show

What happened

India's biggest international mobile esports event of the year is under way in Mumbai. The BGMI International Cup (BMIC) 2026, organised by KRAFTON India for its game Battlegrounds Mobile India, opened on Friday, 30 October, at the Dome, SVP Indoor Stadium (NSCI), and runs until Sunday, 1 November. Sixteen teams from India, South Korea and Japan are competing for a ₹1 crore prize pool, Moneycontrol reported, along with places at the PUBG Mobile Global Championship later this year.

South Korea took control on the first day. According to The Times of India, Nongshim RedForce, champions of the Korea Esports League 2026, finished Day 1 on top with 72 points, one ahead of compatriots Dplus KIA, who won the opening match on the Rondo map and were the only team with two match wins. The defending champions completed a Korean top three on 56 points.

Why people are searching

• A home event with global stakes. The winner earns a Gauntlet Stage slot at PMGC 2026 and the runner-up a Group Stage slot, Inven Global reported.
• Alan Walker. The Norwegian DJ headlined the opening ceremony and played his track "Hero", which has been the BGMI lobby music since the game's "Be A Hero" campaign in 2024, The Times of India reported.
• Indian hopes. Outrage Esports and K9 Esports each won a match on Day 1, taking two of the six match wins.

How the Indian teams are doing

Outrage Esports are the best-placed Indian side, fourth on 47 points and 25 behind the leaders. Blitz Epigrotive Gaming (sixth), K9 Esports (eighth) and iQOO 8Bit (ninth) are also in touch, while iQOO SouL, champions of the BGMI Showdown 2026, made a slow start and sit 13th on 24 points. KINOTROPE gaming lead Japan's challenge in seventh.

Who is playing

Korea's five teams are Nongshim RedForce, Dplus KIA, KRX, FOCUS and GAME PT, according to Inven Global, which lists KRX as the BMIC 2025 champion. India's six spots went to the top six teams of the BGMI Showdown 2026 Finals, and Japan's five to the top five of the PUBG Mobile Japan League Season 6 Phase 2.

At the opening, Ashish Shelar, President of the Esports Games Federation (ESGF) India, called esports "a serious arena of skill, discipline and career opportunity for India's tech-savvy youth", The Times of India reported.

What comes next

Six matches are scheduled on each of the last two days, streamed live on the KRAFTON India Esports YouTube channel. With twelve matches left after Day 1, the Korean hold on the top three is far from settled. This page will be updated with the final standings.