The Esports Foundation and JioBLAST on Monday announced a strategic partnership to launch ‘India Rising: Road to EWC’, a national competition pathway linked to the Esports World Cup 2026.
The initiative aims to provide Indian players with a direct route to one of the world’s biggest esports and gaming events while helping strengthen India’s rapidly growing gaming ecosystem.
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Organisers said the long-term collaboration will later be formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with ‘India Rising’ expected to become a flagship esports property connected to the Esports World Cup in India.
The competition, organised in collaboration with Jio and Chess.com, will feature nationwide open qualifiers for chess. The winners will compete in a LAN grand finale during an offline fan festival in Mumbai.
The champion of the event will qualify for the chess main event at the Esports World Cup 2026 scheduled to take place in Riyadh from August 11 to 15, 2026.
Organisers said all titled Indian chess players will receive invitations to the closed qualifier stage, while more than 10,000 grassroots players are expected to participate through open registrations.
The Mumbai fan festival will also feature creator events, entertainment segments and interactive gaming experiences for attendees.
Speaking about the initiative, Charlie Cowdrey said India has one of the world’s largest gaming communities but lacked a credible pathway to global esports competitions.
India is currently among the fastest-growing gaming markets globally and is expected to cross 500 million gamers in 2026, with the majority playing on mobile devices.
Chess returned to the Esports World Cup with a prize pool of $1.5 million after Magnus Carlsen won the inaugural title last year.
