India has secured a permanent qualification pathway to the Esports World Cup through the India Rising initiative, a collaboration between JioBLAST, Chess.com and the EWC Foundation. Leveraging the country's chess dominance and massive gaming market, the initiative aims to create a long-term pipeline for Indian talent.

On Saturday, using this pathway, Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi could become the fourth Indian to qualify for the EWC main event.