S8UL Qualifies For Honor Of Kings World Cup At EWC 2026 To Represent India

S8UL has qualified for the Honor of Kings World Cup at Esports World Cup 2026. The Indian esports organisation booked the spot after a strong run in the King’s Arise India Qualifier. S8UL will face 20 leading Honor of Kings teams. The event runs from July 30 to August 8. The prize pool is USD 3 million, about INR 28.5 crore.

The team will represent India at the global tournament. Qualification came through the India qualifier playoffs, where the top two teams advanced. S8UL reached that mark before the final. The roster now prepares for the next stage of the season. The organisation also continues its wider push across several Esports World Cup 2026 titles.

S8UL entered the playoffs after winning the Kings’ Arise City Tour - Mumbai. In the quarterfinals, S8UL beat Resurrection Imp. by 4-2. The team then defeated GodLike Esports 4-1 in a best-of-seven semifinal. Those wins sealed a top-two finish. S8UL will play Revenant XSpark on May 17 in the grand final.

S8UL’s lineup includes Indian players Saad Sardar (Darkness) and Hayrambh Monga (Meruem). The roster also has Prabhat Mahato (Xtreme) and Vishnu Khatri (XesoL). Rahul Lavhate (Kyurem) is included as well. New addition Saurabh Jagadale (Kael) joined the unit. Nepal’s Suyog Paudel (Doofy) and China’s Ang Xin Hao (Kong) complete the squad.

The S8UL roster for the Honor of Kings World Cup campaign is listed below.

Commenting on the qualification, Saurabh Jagadale aka Kael, IGL of S8UL’s Honor of Kings roster, said, "Qualifying for the Honor of Kings World Cup is a massive achievement for us. Everyone on this team has worked extremely hard over the past few months to build chemistry, adapt to each other’s playstyles, and improve with every series.

"What makes this journey even more special is the opportunity to represent S8UL on one of the biggest stages in global esports. We are proud of what we have achieved so far, but the focus now is on preparing ourselves for Riyadh and proving that we can compete against the best teams in the world."

S8UL was selected for the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for a second straight year. The organisation said it is playing qualifiers across 13 titles. The list includes Apex Legends, BGMI, and Call of Duty: Warzone. It also features Chess, EA Sports FC, and Trackmania. Fighting games and shooters are part of the plan too.

The campaign includes FATAL FURY, Fortnite, and Honor of Kings. It also covers MOBA Legends 5v5 and PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8, and more titles are included. S8UL narrowly missed qualification in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. The team also fell in the semifinals of the MOBA Legends 5v5 qualifiers. S8UL has qualified in Fortnite and Honor of Kings so far.

S8UL said Indian participation is a key part of the approach this year. The organisation paired homegrown players with experienced international talent. A Talent Hunt Program was introduced for fighting games. Six Indian athletes were picked for FATAL FURY, Street Fighter 6, and TEKKEN 8. Support includes coaching, funded events, travel, a monthly stipend, and content integration.

"Qualifying for the Honor of Kings World Cup is a huge moment for us and an important milestone for Indian esports. What makes this journey even more special is seeing Indian players get the opportunity to represent the country on one of the biggest esports stages in the world. We’ve always believed that Indian talent can compete at the highest level globally, and this qualification is another step toward proving that. At S8UL, our focus has always been on creating opportunities, building strong ecosystems, and giving players the support they need to grow and succeed internationally," said Animesh Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, S8UL.

The Honor of Kings qualification adds to S8UL’s recent results in other games. The organisation’s Pokémon UNITE roster also qualified for the Pokémon UNITE World Championships.

Together, the results increase S8UL’s presence across different esports scenes. The next immediate step is the May 17 final against Revenant XSpark. After that, attention shifts to the World Cup dates from July 30 to August 8.