Gaming
S8UL to compete across 13 titles at Esports World Cup 2026 in Riyadh
The Mumbai-based outfit’s largest-ever global campaign comes with a $75m prize pool on the line
MUMBAI: India’s biggest esports organisation is going all in. S8UL, the Mumbai-headquartered esports and gaming content group, has announced it will enter qualification pathways across 13 titles at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, the highest number of titles ever attempted by an Indian organisation at a global esports tournament.
The titles span the full breadth of competitive gaming: Apex Legends, Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Call of Duty: Warzone, Chess, EA Sports FC, Fatal Fury, Fortnite, Honor of Kings, MOBA Legends 5v5, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Trackmania. Together, they cover PC, console, and mobile ecosystems across genres including FPS, battle royale, fighting games, sports simulation, strategy, and racing.
The announcement follows S8UL’s selection as a club partner by the Esports Foundation for the second consecutive year, placing it among an elite cohort of 40 leading esports organisations worldwide.
The EWC 2026 will be held in Riyadh from July 6 to August 23, featuring a record prize pool of $75m (approximately Rs 700 crore). More than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries will compete across 24 titles. At the heart of the competition is the Club Championship, which carries a $30m (approximately Rs 280 crore) prize pool, rewarding consistent performance across multiple games.
Animesh Agarwal, co-founder and chief executive of S8UL, said the scale of this year’s campaign was the product of hard lessons learned. “Our experience in Riyadh last year gave us a clear understanding of what it takes to compete consistently at the global level. Since then, we have been deliberate in refining our approach, strengthening our foundation, investing in the right talent, and expanding into titles with long-term potential. The focus now is on execution: delivering consistent performances and establishing S8UL as a credible contender across every title we enter.”
At EWC 2025, S8UL competed across nine titles, reaching the Grand Finals in Apex Legends and securing top-eight finishes in Chess and EA Sports FC. This year’s campaign adds five new titles: Fortnite, Honor of Kings, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Street Fighter 6, and Trackmania.
The organisation has arrived at EWC 2026 in sharp form. Its BGMI roster won the BGMI India Series 2026, India’s premier mobile esports tournament. Its MOBA Legends 5v5 team claimed the Rai Star x Gyan Gaming Cup. Grandmaster Nihal Sarin won the Menorca Open. The VALORANT roster took the VCSA Split 1. The Honor of Kings team won the Kings Arise India City Tour in Mumbai. And on the global stage, the Apex Legends roster delivered a historic top-five finish at the ALGS 2026 Championship, the best-ever result by an Indian organisation in that title.
For Indian esports, the direction of travel is unmistakable. S8UL is no longer just showing up at the world’s biggest gaming tournament. It is arriving with intent.
Gaming
Formula 1 and Mumbai Falcons launch India’s first official F1 sim racing championship
Nationwide competition creates pathway from virtual racing to pro motorsport
MUMBAI: Formula 1 has teamed up with Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited to launch India’s first officially sanctioned F1 sim racing competition, marking a new step in the country’s growing motorsport ecosystem.
The championship, titled F1 Sim Racing India Open 2026, will offer a structured national platform for sim racers, with participants competing on the official F1 25 across multiple stages. The competition will begin with online qualifiers, followed by city-based simulator rounds, before culminating in a national final in Mumbai this November.
Open to players across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox, registrations for the event will begin on 30 April via the Mumbai Falcons app. The format mirrors real-world racing, featuring official circuits, team liveries and competitive structures aligned with the global series.
Formula 1 driver Narain Karthikeyan said the initiative arrives at a time when interest in the sport is surging in India, adding that a structured sim racing platform could help identify and nurture the next generation of talent.
Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited managing director Ameet Gadhoke noted that the championship aligns with the team’s long-term goal of building a strong motorsport pipeline in the country and placing Indian talent on the global stage.
The launch also reflects broader momentum in esports, especially after its recognition under India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025. By bridging gaming and real-world racing, the initiative aims to offer aspiring drivers a credible entry point into professional motorsport.
With interest in Formula 1 steadily rising and conversations around its return to India gaining pace, the new championship could become a proving ground for future racing stars.
