S8UL Esports’ fighting game athletes Gurashish Singh (Soul) and Prateek Bhaunt (B Haunt), have officially qualified to represent India in Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6, respectively, at the Asian Games 2026. The duo earned their spots after winning their respective events at the National Esports Championships 2026 (NESC 2026), the official qualification tournament for India's esports contingent at the Games.
S8UL Duo to Represent India at Asian Games 2026 in Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6
Soul, who previously represented India at the BRICS Esports Tournament 2025, emerged as the national champion in Tekken 8, while B Haunt secured top honours in Street Fighter 6 to book their places on Team India.
The qualification of Soul and B Haunt comes ahead of the 20th Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. Esports will feature 11 titles at the Games, continuing its rise within the continental sporting landscape after debuting as a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta-Palembang and becoming a full medal sport at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. Notably, the Street Fighter, Tekken, and King of Fighters series will be contested under the Competitive Martial Arts category, which will be treated as a single medal event.
As part of S8UL’s talent hunt initiative, six selected athletes receive professional coaching, fully funded participation in domestic and international tournaments, comprehensive travel support, a monthly stipend, and integration into the organization's content ecosystem. Both Soul and B Haunt, alongside Ansh Arora (Closing Regent), Prince (Prince), Mohammad Sameer (AK Arhaan), and Nakul Sharma (Weak Akuma), are also part of S8UL's Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 campaign, where they are competing in qualification pathways across Fatal Fury, Street Fighter 6, and Tekken 8, as they look to earn spots at the world's largest esports event.
Beyond the fighting game disciplines, S8UL athletes have also made their mark in other Asian Games qualification pathways. The organization's League of Legends roster, led by captain Akshaj Shenoy (Kat Bot) alongside Aakash Shandilya (Infi), Sanindhya Malik (Deadcorporal), Mihir Ranjan (Lotus), Ahmed Shahid (Nero), and Rahul Bisht (Bob), emerged victorious at the NESC 2026 and will now compete in the regional qualifiers from June 12 to 14. Notably, Kat Bot, Infi, Deadcorporal, and Lotus were part of India's League of Legends contingent at the Hangzhou Asian Games, where the team secured a fifth-place finish.
