Highlights
- JioBLAST launched India Rising, the official national qualifier for the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris.
- Global partners like Sony and Aramco support the event, featuring massive chess qualifiers co-led by Chess.com.
- The Mumbai fan festival aims to professionalize India's esports ecosystem, creating clear pathways to global competition.
JioBLAST has officially unveiled its star-studded global partner lineup for "India Rising: Road to EWC," a national esports competition and fan festival. Launched in collaboration with the Esports Foundation (EF), this initiative serves as India’s official qualification route to the highly anticipated Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, relocated to Paris, France. With backing from massive brands like flagship partner Chess.com, the event marks a major collaborative effort to elevate the Indian gaming ecosystem to international standards and give local talent a chance to shine globally.
The newly revealed partner roster brings some of the biggest global names in telecommunications, entertainment, hospitality, and technology into the Indian esports fold. Joining the initiative are stc, Qiddiya City, Aramco, Sony, Hilton, and Secretlab, all of whom are deeply integrated into the broader EWC ecosystem.
From stc's digital prowess in the Middle East to Sony's global entertainment legacy and Secretlab's premium gaming gear, the lineup is a testament to the event's scale. Notably, Qiddiya City, Saudi Arabia’s upcoming entertainment and sports mega-city, recently became the sole proprietor of the Evolution Championship Series (Evo) after purchasing NODWIN Gaming‘s share in the property, further highlighting the heavyweights backing this Indian venture.
Grassroots Players & Titled Masters Head for Chess Qualifiers
Just two weeks after EF and JioBLAST officially unveiled the festival, it has been confirmed that the 2026 edition of India Rising will kick off with a massive focus on chess, capitalizing on India’s rising global dominance in the game. Organizers project that over 10,000 grassroots players from across the country will register for the open, statewide qualifiers co-led by Chess.com.
Meanwhile, all titled Indian chess players will receive direct invitations to the closed qualifier stage. The ultimate champion of the India Rising chess finals will secure a highly coveted, direct spot in the Esports World Cup 2026 Chess main event in Paris. Reliance Jio will leverage its massive user base and online channels to handle registrations and digital fan engagement, while JioBLAST will deliver the complete competitive ecosystem.
Mumbai Fan Festival Set to Host VALORANT & Mobile Legends
All of this high-stakes competition will culminate in a massive offline fan festival in Mumbai, designed as a true celebration of modern gaming culture. Beyond hosting the live chess grand finals, the Mumbai event will treat fans to thrilling exhibition matches in popular esports titles like VALORANT and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Attendees will get to experience a unique blend of competitive gaming and live entertainment, complete with interactive gaming zones, live music, comedy performances, cosplay events, and dedicated spaces to meet their favorite content creators, as per EWC.
This festival is just the first step in a much larger vision to professionalize India's competitive scene. JioBLAST, a Mumbai-based joint venture between Reliance's RISE Worldwide and international tournament organizer BLAST, aims to build a structured route from domestic grassroots gaming to global arenas. JioBLAST CEO Charlie Cowdrey emphasized in a press release that while India has the world's second-largest gaming base, it has historically lacked these professional pathways, a gap this initiative will close.
Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer of the Esports Foundation, echoed this sentiment, noting that investing in massive player bases like India's is central to uniting the global gaming community. Through a formalized long-term agreement, future iterations of India Rising will expand into multiple esports genres.
In the meantime, JioBLAST continues to push regional esports forward, concurrently running the Brawl Stars Challengers 2026 circuit across South and Southeast Asia in partnership with mobile game developer Supercell.
