S8UL officially qualified for the Honor of Kings World Cup (KWC) at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 after a commanding run at the King’s Arise India Qualifier. With the qualification, S8UL will represent India at the global tournament, where 20 of the world’s top Honor of Kings teams will compete for a prize pool of USD 3 million (~INR 28.5 crore) from July 30 to August 8.
Secures qualification after a dominant run at the King’s Arise India Qualifier
The lineup featuring Indian players Saad Sardar (Darkness), Hayrambh Monga (Meruem), Prabhat Mahato (Xtreme), Vishnu Khatri (XesoL), Rahul Lavhate (Kyurem), and new addition Saurabh Jagadale (Kael), alongside Nepal’s Suyog Paudel (Doofy) and China’s Ang Xin Hao (Kong), entered the playoffs after winning the Kings’ Arise City Tour - Mumbai. The team began its playoff campaign with a 4-2 victory over Resurrection Imp. in the quarterfinals before defeating GodLike Esports 4-1 in the best-of-seven semifinals to secure qualification for KWC 2026, as the top two teams from the event advanced to the global tournament. S8UL will now face Revenant XSpark in the grand finals on May 17 to determine the champions of the India qualifier.
Also Read | PUBG Mobile 4.4 Update Download: Links, Steps, Date, Features, and More
Having been selected for the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for the second consecutive year, S8UL announced its most ambitious international campaign yet, competing across qualifiers for 13 titles including Apex Legends, 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. While the organization narrowly missed qualification in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and fell short in the semifinals of the MOBA Legends 5v5 qualifiers, it has now secured qualification in both Fortnite and Honor of Kings, while remaining in contention across the other titles.
For this year’s campaign, S8UL has also placed strong emphasis on Indian participation alongside proven international talent, ensuring homegrown players are represented across multiple titles. One of the major highlights of the initiative is the organization’s first-of-its-kind Talent Hunt Program for fighting games, through which six Indian athletes were selected for FATAL FURY, Street Fighter 6, and TEKKEN 8. The selected players will receive professional coaching, fully funded tournament participation, complete travel support, a monthly stipend, and integration into S8UL’s wider content ecosystem.
