India secures direct invite in MOBA Legends: 5v5! at Esports Nations Cup 2026

The Esports Foundation (EF) has confirmed the official roster submissions and direct invite recipients for the MOBA Legends: 5v5! tournament at the Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, with India among the 16 nations receiving a direct invitation to compete in the title at the inaugural global nation-based esports competition, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 2 to 29, 2026.

MOBA Legends: 5v5! at ENC 2026 will take place from November 23 to 29, featuring 32 teams competing for a prize pool of USD 1.5 million (~INR 14.2 crore). The EF allocated 16 direct invitations through the ENC Rankings, which aggregate points earned by players based on their performances across international, regional, and select official competitions of the title, including the recently concluded Mid Season Cup (MSC) at the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris. The remaining 14 places will be decided through regional online qualifiers, scheduled for August 15 to 16, while the final two slots will be filled through wildcard invitations comprising one Host Region slot and one Solidarity slot.

Having accumulated 2,600 ENC Ranking points, India’s roster of Gaithanlung Gonmei (Kyle), Susanta Biswas (Kimyy), Abhijeet Katkar (Asuna), Rithik Sohal (Romcom), Evancius A. Sangma (Vann), along with reserve players Mohammad Saad (Apex) and Jay Mehta (J), will represent the country at the inaugural edition of the tournament. Steve Vitug (Dale), earlier appointed by NODWIN Gaming, India’s National Team Partner (NTP) for ENC 2026, will serve as the squad’s coach.

The lineup brings together some of India’s finest MOBA Legends: 5v5! talent, led by players who recently created history for Indian esports. Kyle, Kimyy, and Asuna represented True Rippers at the MSC during the EWC 2026, where they secured a Top 16 finish in what was the first-ever appearance by an Indian team at the tournament. Earlier in the season, the trio also won the MOBA Legends Masters Series (MLMS), with both achievements contributing significantly to India’s ENC Ranking points.

Speaking on the announcement, Steve Vitug (Dale), coach of India’s MOBA Legends: 5v5! team for ENC 2026, said, “One of the biggest strengths of this roster is the variety of experience each player brings. Every player has something unique to offer, whether it’s leadership, mechanics, or decision-making. Our focus over the coming months is to combine those strengths into a cohesive team with a clear identity and style of play. I am confident we’ll be ready to take on the challenge in Riyadh.”

With this announcement, India has now secured representation in eight titles at ENC 2026: Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, EA SPORTS FC, Honor of Kings, MOBA Legends: 5v5!, Rocket League, Trackmania, and VALORANT. Similar to the MOBA Legends: 5v5! team, India’s EA SPORTS FC star Charanjot Singh earned a direct invitation through the ENC Rankings. The nation also received Special Invites in BGMI and Honor of Kings. In Chess, Grandmaster Nihal Sarin qualified directly through the official ENC Rankings, while Mitrabha Guha secured his place through the regional qualifiers. India’s Rocket League team, VALORANT team, and Trackmania star Kunal Upreti (Spark) also earned their places at the global event through their respective regional qualifiers.

Attention now turns to the ongoing EA SPORTS FC regional qualifiers, where India has another opportunity to strengthen its representation at ENC 2026. With Charanjot already securing one of the country’s two available places through the FC Pro World Rankings, one more Indian player can qualify via the South Asia regional qualifier, where four players will advance to the ENC 2026 main event.