The Esports Foundation (EF) and JioBLAST have announced a new partnership to launch India Rising: Road to EWC, a national esports competition and fan festival that will take place in India ahead of the Esports World Cup 2026.
The event is being delivered in collaboration with Jio, which will provide access to its digital platforms, and Chess.com. The first edition of India Rising will focus on chess and feature nationwide open qualifiers across India. The competition will end with a LAN grand final at the offline festival, where the winner will qualify for the EWC 2026 Chess main event in Riyadh, taking place from August 11 to 15, 2026.
Organisers said all titled Indian chess players will be invited to the closed qualifier stage, while more than 10,000 grassroots players are expected to register through the open qualifiers.
The offline festival will be held in Mumbai and will include the India Rising Chess finals along with creator activities, entertainment, and fan experiences. The event will also feature exhibition matches in VALORANT and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Fans attending the festival can also expect live music performances, cosplay, comedy shows, interactive gaming zones, and creator-focused fan engagement areas.
Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer of the Esports Foundation, said, “The Esports World Cup’s purpose is to unite the global gaming community, and that means investing in regions shaping the future of the industry. India is central to that vision. With hundreds of millions of players, it is home to leading chess talent, elite championship Clubs to digital platforms redefining how fans engage with esports. Through partnership with JioBlast, we are creating new opportunities for Indian players to compete at the highest level, while bringing the EWC closer to its fans in the country.”
Charlie Cowdrey, CEO, JioBLAST, said, “India has the second biggest gaming base and one of the most passionate gaming communities in the world, but what has been missing is a clear and credible pathway from India into the biggest global stages. Partnering with the Esports World Cup to build India Rising: Road to EWC will change that. We are proud to be building it with the Esports Foundation and are excited for what this will become in the future years together.”
Beyond the upcoming India Rising festival, JioBLAST is also running the Brawl Stars Challengers 2026 circuit across South and Southeast Asia. The company recently brought on Manish Patankar as Vice President of Commercial Partnerships as it looks to grow its presence in the Indian esports market.
Follow The Esports Radar on social media:
