Team Vertice wins SEA qualifier, to fly Malaysian flag at Gamescom in Germany
The four-man PUBG Mobile squad has booked a place at the #PlayGalaxy Cup World Finals in Cologne this August.
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia's Team Vertice have been crowned champions of the Samsung #PlayGalaxy Cup 2026 Southeast Asia Regional Qualifier, earning a spot at the World Finals to be held alongside Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany at the end of this month.
The four-player squad topped the online competition with a strong showing in PUBG Mobile, seeing off some of the best teams from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
A combination of strategy, communication and solid teamwork was key to their win in a tournament where every team used the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra as the official device. The phone features a neural processing unit (NPU) that is 39 per cent more powerful and a central processing unit (CPU) that is 19 per cent faster, supporting high-intensity gaming.
Joining them in Germany will be Indonesia's Team Vonzy, runners-up in the regional qualifier. Both sides will face champions from Europe, North America, Latin America, India and other regions in the global decider.
The #PlayGalaxy Cup is a global tournament league showcasing gaming capabilities on Galaxy devices. This year's edition has expanded into a year-long esports league in partnership with PUBG Mobile, allowing more teams from various regions to compete in stages.
Team Vertice are led by Muhammad Nur Ihsan Ismail, better known as San Gaming, a #TeamGalaxy influencer in the local esports community. He said the win was not an individual effort but the result of trust and unity within the team, which also includes Dep, ICAA and Kluq.
"We always move forward to plan strategies for the next match, even when we make mistakes. I am very happy because I have long dreamed of going to Germany, and it is an honour to carry the Jalur Gemilang onto the world stage," he said. (Quote translated from Malay.)
In February, Ihsan was picked to take part in the global PUBG Mobile Open in San Francisco, United States, alongside three other #TeamGalaxy representatives from around the world. That team emerged champions.
On preparations, he said: "We are studying the teams we will face and training every day to get ready for the finals."
Samsung Malaysia Electronics head of Mobile Experience Matthew Ng said the victory reflected the rapid growth of the mobile gaming community in Southeast Asia.
"We believe technology can be a catalyst for a new generation of esports talent," he said.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), in accordance with our editorial policy.