Aaron Boulding – PUBG eSports
The “sibling showdown” is just around the corner with the NPL Royale, pitting all 16 teams in NPL Contenders against all 16 of their big brothers in the NPL, taking center stage beginning February 22. This week’s NPL action will directly impact how the NPL Royale unfolds as NPL team standings will determine which NPL Contenders teams will face which NPL teams in the opening round.
The NPL Royale itself will split the 32 total teams (16 Contenders, 16 NPL) in to two groups, A and B, with the odd-numbered teams in the NPL standings after Week 3 landing in Group A and the even-numbered teams going into Group B. Going in order from the top of the standings, the team captains from Group A will then select which NPL Contenders team will be assigned to Group B. The captains from the Group B teams will pick the Contenders teams going into Group A. In the end, Group A will be made up of the first-, third-, fifth-, seventh-, ninth-, eleventh-, thirteenth-, and fifteenth-place teams plus the Contenders teams selected by the Group B captains. Group B will be filled out using the same process except it will be Group A captains choosing and the even-numbered teams in the NPL standings automatically seeded.
All of this drawing and group-setting activity will happen live at the conclusion of Week 3’s NPL matches on Saturday February 16. Throughout Week 3, expect the NPL teams to be scrambling for every point, not just to climb the standings but in an effort to impact the shape of next week’s NPL Royale.
The format for the NPL Royale itself follows:
| NPL Royale Date | Match Day | Stakes |
| February 22 | Group A plays four matches | Top eight teams advance to final round |
| February 23 | Group B plays four matches | Top eight teams advance to final round |
| February 24 | Final 16 teams play four matches | Top eight finishers split $80,000 prize pool |
The NPL Royale begins Friday, February 22 at 5:00 p.m. PST.