Highlights
- The Pokémon Company and Skyesports have announced the PUACL 2026 India League, featuring 10 elite teams competing for a $20K prize pool and India’s qualification spot for the PUACL Finals in Japan.
- The tournament runs from Nov. 29–Jan. 31, including a five-day group stage and King of the Hill playoffs, with top organizations like S8UL Esports and GodLike participating.
- S8UL’s new sponsorship deal with iQOO underscores that Indian esports stakeholders are responding positively.
The Pokémon Company has announced the return of Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League (PUACL), along with the launch of PUACL 2026 India League, establishing one of the title’s most structured national circuits to date. The Pokémon Company has partnered with Indian esports organizer Skyesports to execute the PUACL 2026 India League.
The India League will determine the country's representative for PUACL 2026 Offline Finals, hosted at Yokohama Buntai Arena in Japan (Mar. 28–29). The league will feature 10 invited esports organizations and a $20K prize pool, with the winner claiming the country’s single slot for PUACL 2026.
Indian organizations and sponsors are already responding positively to the tournament. Shortly after the announcement, one of the invitee teams, S8UL Esports, partnered with smartphone brand iQOO to sponsor S8UL's Pokémon UNITE and MOBA Legends 5v5 teams.
Co-founder and CEO of S8UL Esports, Animesh Agarwal, emphasized that “a partner like iQOO helps us give our players the tools they need to compete with confidence in India and internationally,” while noting the significance of their extended partnership with iQOO for Pokémon UNITE.
PUACL 2026 India League Format
The PUACL 2026 India League will run from Nov. 29–Jan. 31. The tournament structure will feature a five-day group stage feeding into the King of the Hill playoffs on Jan. 31, with the best eight teams from the group stage.
Along with S8UL Esports, India’s nine other top teams— Revenant XSpark, GodLike Esports, Marcos Gaming, Team Tamilas, Reckoning Esports, True Rippers, WELT Esports, Autobotz, and Meta Ninza— have been invited.
pokemonunite.jp
The winner will play in Japan against the top 13 teams across Asia along with three more teams from the LAIC region. The Asian participants will be selected through multiple regional leagues, except for one special invitee from China, according to Pokémon UNITE’s official announcement.
Skyesports CEO, Shiva Nandy, noted in the announcement that the league aims to “provide a clear path for Indian players to compete at the highest level in Asia,” to showcase the quality of talent India has to offer within Pokémon UNITE’s international ecosystem.
The tournament will reportedly be streamed live on Pokémon UNITE and Skyesports’ official channels.
