Gaming
S8UL qualifies for Honor of Kings World Cup 2026
Indian esports organisation books Riyadh spot after dominant qualifier run
MUMBAI: From Mumbai servers to Riyadh’s global stage, S8ul’s latest winning streak just levelled up Indian esports. Indian esports organisation S8UL has qualified for the Honor of Kings World Cup (KWC) 2026 after a commanding performance at the King’s Arise India Qualifier, earning a place among 20 of the world’s top teams set to compete at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh later this year. The tournament, scheduled from July 30 to August 8, carries a prize pool of $3 million roughly Rs 28.5 crore placing it among the biggest mobile esports events globally.
S8ul’s roster, featuring Indian players Saad Sardar aka Darkness, Hayrambh Monga aka Meruem, Prabhat Mahato aka Xtreme, Vishnu Khatri aka XesoL, Rahul Lavhate aka Kyurem and newly added player Saurabh Jagadale aka Kael, alongside Nepal’s Suyog Paudel aka Doofy and China’s Ang Xin Hao aka Kong, secured qualification after an impressive playoff run.
The team first booked its playoff berth by winning the Kings’ Arise City Tour in Mumbai before defeating Resurrection Imp. 4-2 in the quarterfinals. S8UL then dispatched GodLike Esports 4-1 in the best-of-seven semifinals, with the top two teams qualifying for the global event.
The organisation will next face Revenant XSpark in the India qualifier grand final on May 17.
For S8ul, however, the qualification is part of a much bigger global push.
The organisation, selected for the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for the second consecutive year, is competing across qualifiers for 13 titles this season, including Apex Legends, BGMI, Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6 and Chess.
While S8UL narrowly missed qualification in PUBG: Battlegrounds and exited in the semifinals of the MOBA Legends 5v5 qualifiers, it has already secured global qualification in both Fortnite and Honor of Kings, while remaining in contention across several other titles.
The company is also doubling down on Indian talent development.
One of its most notable initiatives this year has been a dedicated Talent Hunt Program for fighting games, through which six Indian players were selected across Fatal Fury, Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. The selected athletes will receive coaching support, funded tournament participation, travel backing and monthly stipends, a sign of how structured esports development in India is beginning to move beyond casual competition into full-fledged professional ecosystems.
S8ul co-founder and chief executive Animesh Agarwal described the qualification as a “huge moment” for Indian esports, adding that the organisation’s long-term focus remains on building opportunities for Indian players to compete internationally.
The latest qualification also adds to S8ul’s growing international footprint. Its Pokémon Unite roster recently qualified for the Pokémon Unite World Championships, further cementing the organisation’s ambitions of becoming one of India’s largest multi-title esports powerhouses.
And if the past few months are anything to go by, S8ul is no longer just chasing global relevance, it is steadily queuing up for it.
