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Fans watch as 80 players simultaneously fight for survival in an eSports match of upstart computer game PlayUnknown's Battlegrounds at an Intel Extreme Masters tournament in the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on November 18, 2017. Scores of virtual warriors faced-off in a Hunger Games-style death match here in a massive, real-world eSports match-up of upstart shooter game 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.' The computer game's rise has been epic, with some industry trackers branding this the year of 'PUBG' even though it is technically still in trial mode with a final version yet to be released.In a colossal two-day event that ended late Sunday, 80 players hunched over computers in a warren of cubicles set up in an arena where the champion Golden State Warriors usually play home basketball games. / AFP PHOTO / Glenn CHAPMAN (Photo credit should read GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP/Getty Images)GLENN CHAPMAN/Getty Images

National PUBG League 2019 North American Event Schedule and Prize Money

Tim DanielsJan 17, 2019

The complete 2019 schedule for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' (PUBG) professional play in the North American region was announced Thursday, and it will have a $1 million overall prize pool.

A National PUBG League (NPL) press release sent to Bleacher Report confirmed the top qualifying teams from each phase of the 2019 season will advance to represent North America in worldwide events.

The NPL regular season will kick off Feb. 1 with the first of three five-week sessions. Matches will be held Fridays (8 p.m. ET) and Saturdays (5 p.m. ET), and all the action will be available via Twitch live stream.

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Phase 2 is scheduled to start May 3, and Phase 3 will follow on Sept. 6.

Each section of the season featuring the popular video game will include the same prize pool:

1st: $100,000

2nd: $40,000

3rd: $20,000

4th: $12,000

5th: $10,000

6th: $8,000

7th: $6,000

8th: $4,000

Here's a look at the 16 pro teams set to compete in the NPL's top division to open 2019:

Adapt
Cloud9
eUnited
Ghost Gaming
Lazarus Esports
Noble Esports
Oxymoron
Shoot to Kill
Simplicity
Smokin Aces
Spacestation Gaming
Team Env
Tempo Storm
Vicious Gaming
Why Tempt Fate
Wildcard Gaming

Meanwhile, the NPL is also running an NPL Contenders league, which will feature three four-week competitions (starting Feb. 5, May 7 and Sept. 10) that will give 16 other professional teams an opportunity to climb the NPL ladder.

The process will operate similar to European football with promotions and relegations based on the performance of the bottom-six NPL teams and the top-10 NPL Contenders squads in a series of tournaments following each phase of the the season.

A top prize of $6,000 is available for the winning team from each Contenders phase.

There are also three special NPL Royale events during 2019 (beginning Feb. 22, May 24 and Sept. 27) where all 32 teams will face off with a $40,000 first-place prize on each occasion.

All tournaments will be held at the OGN Super Arena in Manhattan Beach, California.