VALORANT team qualifies for Esports Nations Cup
India have booked their place in the VALORANT main event at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026 following a resilient campaign in the Asia regional qualifiers.
The team emerged as one of only two sides from the region to qualify for the global esports competition, which will be held here from November 2 to 29.
VALORANT at ENC 2026 features 32 teams competing for a prize pool of USD 1.5 million. Sixteen countries and territories received direct invitations from the Esports Foundation through the ENC Rankings, which are based on performances in official Riot Games competitions. The remaining 14 qualification spots were decided through regional online qualifiers across Asia, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia and Oceania. The Asia regional qualifier featured nine teams competing in a double-elimination bracket. All matches before the Upper Bracket (UB) Final and Lower Bracket (LB) Final were played as best-of-one, while both bracket finals were contested as best-of-three series.
India’s roster, led by in-game leader (IGL) Sagnik Roy (Hellf), featured Abhirup Choudhury (Lightningfast), Aman Yadav (Hoax), Venkatesh Sharma (Venky), and Daivik Chauhan (Dc), with Norbu Tsering (Karam1L) and Shravana Sahoo (Techno) serving as substitutes.
Abhishek Bajaj (GodspeedxD) was as the team’s coach, appointed by NODWIN Gaming, India’s National Team Partner (NTP) for ENC 2026.
India began their campaign with a dominant 13-2 victory over Nepal in the UB quarterfinals before falling 5-13 to eventual qualifier Japan in the UB semifinals.
Facing elimination, the team responded with composure, defeating Pakistan 13-9 in the LB quarterfinals and overcoming Mongolia 13-10 to reach the LB Final.
