‘This is India’s moment’: Why the nation of 1.4 billion people now has a path to the esports world championship

Aravindh Chithambaram, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin (special arrangement) NEW DELHI: The traditional boundaries of Indian sports are rapidly expanding into the digital realm, with India Rising: Road to EWC, a collaboration between JioBLAST, Chess.com and the Esports World Cup (EWC) Foundation emerging as the latest expression of the country’s growing esports ambitions.Through the India Rising event, India secured a permanent qualification track on the official Esports World Cup global schedule, with India’s Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi clashing with Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok on Saturday for a coveted spot on the 14-man Esports Chess World Cup roster. The choice to use chess as the initial catalyst for this integration is entirely intentional.Indian chess is currently enjoying an unprecedented golden era, a competitive reality that Grandmaster Vidit believes makes the country an ideal starting point for a major global esports gateway.“India is a power when it comes to chess. We won the Olympic gold medal. We are the reigning champions. The world champion is from India, the Women’s World Cup winner is from India and the challenger Vaishali is also from India,” Gujrathi told TimesofIndia.com.“So India is very important in the chess landscape. Also with the huge number of players, I think India is one of the front-runners. I feel like the competition is much higher here and it makes a lot of sense that we have our own path to the esports World Cup. Because esports is such a global event, it’s very important to have India represented there. I think we are among the world favorites that we have in India.”Charlie Cowdrey, CEO of JioBLAST, reveals that India’s inclusion in the global EWC plan was born out of a desire to create lasting value rather than a fleeting digital spectacle.“The initial talks were not about just bringing another tournament to India, they were about creating meaningful opportunities for Indian players,” Cowdrey said when asked about their initial approach to creating a separate World Cup qualifier for India.“Chess felt like a natural place to start as India has one of the strongest chess ecosystems in the world with incredible talent, a passionate fan base and a new generation that is redefining the sport globally.”This integration of the strategic plan comes at a time when the domestic market has reached what Cowdrey calls a “perfect storm”.India has the second largest gaming market by player base, buoyed by a huge demographic advantage where 65% of the population is under the age of 35. It is a benchmark that global stakeholders can no longer afford to overlook.Mike McCabe, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, points out that the international organization is formally incorporating India into its long-term plan as the country is actively driving the industry forward.“India is one of the most important growth markets in global esports. It combines enormous scale, a young and digitally connected population, world-class competitive talent and a gaming community that is growing every year,” McCabe noted. “We see India not simply as a market of the future, but as one that is already shaping the future of esports. When you look at the growth of esports as a global sport, it’s hard to imagine it without India playing a major role.”However, creating an entirely new channel across multiple global organizations presented distinct behind-the-scenes hurdles.

India Rising: Road to EWC 2026 (Photo from Chess.com)

Cowdrey notes that aligning international partners required careful problem-solving to balance competitive integrity and mainstream entertainment.“Whenever you’re building something that’s never been done before, alignment becomes one of the biggest challenges,” admitted Cowdrey. “We worked with many global partners, each bringing different expertise but united by the same ambition…Finding the right balance between competitive integrity, accessibility and fun required months of collaboration and planning with EWC, BLAST, Jio, Chess.com and others.”The ultimate goal of placing this roadmap was to solve a historical structural gap, the lack of a direct path for raw domestic talent to reach the highest international stages.“Countries that are successful in the long term are those that build lasting structures around players rather than relying on short-term momentum,” McCabe explained. “India Rising is creating something that every emerging esports ecosystem needs: a credible path from local competition to the global stage.”With JioBLAST recently signing an MoU with the Maharashtra government to explore long-term digital innovation and youth engagement, the plan is clearly built for the long haul.“The ultimate indicator of the success of India Rising: Road to EWC will be seeing Indian players and teams winning at the World Esports World Cup in the years to come,” added Cowdrey.READ ALSO: Exclusive Vidit Gujrathi: “India is a chess powerhouse but still a long way from becoming an esports hub”A win over Bok on Saturday could make Gujrathi the fourth Indian to qualify for the EWC main event after Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi, and would certainly be the cherry on top for both Indian chess and esports fans.“This is India’s moment,” concluded McCabe. This country already has the talent, passion and scale to become one of the defining forces in global esports.”