Indian esports organisation S8UL has secured qualification for the Honor of Kings World Cup (KWC) at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 after delivering a dominant performance at the King’s Arise India Qualifier. With the qualification, S8UL will now represent India at the global tournament, where 20 of the world’s leading Honor of Kings teams will battle for a prize pool of USD 3 million, approximately INR 28.5 crore, from July 30 to August 8 in Riyadh.

According to a press release, the S8UL 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 the latest addition Saurabh Jagadale aka Kael, alongside Nepal’s Suyog Paudel aka Doofy and China’s Ang Xin Hao aka Kong, earned their playoff spot after winning the Kings’ Arise City Tour in Mumbai.

The team continued its strong momentum in the playoffs, defeating Resurrection Imp. 4-2 in the quarterfinals before overpowering GodLike Esports 4-1 in the best-of-seven semifinals. The win ensured S8UL’s place at the Honor of Kings World Cup, as the top two teams from the India qualifier advanced to the international stage. S8UL is now set to face Revenant XSpark in the grand finals on May 17 to decide the champions of the India qualifier.

Speaking about the qualification, Saurabh Jagadale aka Kael, the in-game leader of S8UL’s Honor of Kings roster, said the achievement reflects the hard work and dedication the team has put in over the last few months. He added that representing S8UL and India on one of the biggest stages in global esports makes the journey even more special and said the team’s focus now shifts towards preparing for Riyadh and competing against the best teams in the world.

S8UL has been steadily expanding its international esports ambitions and was recently selected for the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for the second consecutive year. The organisation announced participation across qualifiers for 13 major titles including Apex Legends, BGMI, Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, EA Sports FC, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8 and several others.

While the organisation narrowly missed qualification in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and exited in the semifinals of the MOBA Legends 5v5 qualifiers, it has now secured spots in both Fortnite and Honor of Kings while continuing its campaign in other global esports titles.

This year, S8UL has also placed strong emphasis on promoting Indian esports talent alongside experienced international players. One of the key highlights of its initiative is the launch of a Talent Hunt Program focused on fighting games, through which six Indian athletes were selected for titles such as FATAL FURY, Street Fighter 6 and TEKKEN 8. The selected players will receive professional coaching, travel support, tournament participation, monthly stipends and integration into the organisation’s content ecosystem.

Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO of S8UL, said the qualification marks an important milestone not only for the organisation but also for Indian esports as a whole. He noted that S8UL has always believed Indian players are capable of competing at the highest international level and added that the organisation remains focused on building opportunities and strong support systems for players aiming to succeed globally.

The latest qualification further strengthens S8UL’s growing international presence across multiple esports ecosystems. The organisation’s Pokémon UNITE roster had also recently qualified for the Pokémon UNITE World Championships, adding another major achievement to S8UL’s expanding global esports journey.