India’s growing presence in global esports received another boost after Grandmaster Nihal Sarin secured a direct qualification spot for the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 Chess event, while NODWIN Gaming also unveiled India’s Rocket League roster for the upcoming tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made by NODWIN Gaming, India’s National Team Partner for ENC 2026. The tournament, which debuts later this year, will be held from November 2 to 29 and is expected to bring together some of the world’s top esports athletes across multiple titles.

Nihal Sarin became the only Indian chess player to secure a direct invitation to the ENC 2026 Finals through the official Champions Chess Tour (CCT) Leaderboard rankings. The Kerala-born Grandmaster earned his place after a strong and consistent campaign across the CCT 2025-2026 season, which included events such as the Speed Chess Championship 2025, Chess.com Open 2026, and the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix circuit.

The Chess competition at ENC 2026 will feature 128 players competing for a prize pool of USD 600,000, approximately Rs 5.7 crore. The tournament will begin with a round-robin group stage before moving into a single-elimination playoff bracket.

Nihal joins an elite list of directly invited players that includes world stars such as Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Denis Lazavik. He finished among the top six players in the official ENC Chess rankings with 139 leaderboard points.

Speaking about the qualification, Nihal Sarin said representing India in a nation-based esports format carries a different level of excitement. He added that competing under the Indian flag against some of the world’s strongest players makes the tournament particularly special.

Apart from the directly invited players, more competitors will qualify through regional Chess.com qualifiers scheduled in June. Countries can have up to two representatives at the Finals, meaning India could still add another player through the qualification pathway.

Alongside the Chess announcement, India’s Rocket League team for the ENC 2026 qualifiers was also revealed. The squad features Abhai Ponna aka Abscrazy, Karthik Raghunandan aka Karvin, Aditeya Srivastav aka Riyal, and substitute player Jayanth Engineer aka Orjanguse. The team will compete in the Asia regional qualifiers from July 17 to 19 for a place at the main event.

The lineup combines experienced Rocket League players with emerging Indian talent. Abscrazy previously represented India at the FIFAe Nations League 2026 and has competed internationally in the Rocket League Championship Series. Karvin and Riyal have steadily built strong reputations within the APAC Rocket League ecosystem, while Orjanguse recently secured a top-four finish alongside teammates during FIFAe Nations League Week 1.

Rocket League at ENC 2026 will feature 48 national teams competing in 3v3 matches for a prize pool of USD 1.32 million, approximately Rs 12.5 crore.

Commenting on the opportunity, Abscrazy said the Esports Nations Cup offers Indian Rocket League players a rare chance to represent the country on one of the biggest global esports stages. He added that the team’s existing chemistry from competing together in previous tournaments could prove valuable during the qualifiers.

With India now securing representation in both Chess and Rocket League, the country’s participation at ENC 2026 highlights the rapid rise of Indian esports talent on the international stage.