India has secured a direct invitation to compete in the MOBA Legends: 5v5! tournament at the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC) 2026, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Esports Foundation (EF) confirmed India as one of 16 nations receiving direct entry into the competition, which features a prize pool of USD 1.5 million (approximately INR 14.2 crore).

The MOBA Legends: 5v5! segment of ENC 2026 will run from November 23 to 29, 2026, as part of the broader Esports Nations Cup event taking place from November 2 to 29. A total of 32 teams will participate, with 16 slots allocated via direct invitations based on ENC Rankings. The remaining 14 positions will be filled through regional online qualifiers held from August 15-16, with two wildcard slots completing the roster.

MOBA Indian Roster and Qualification Pathway

India’s direct qualification resulted from accumulating 2,600 ENC Ranking points. The confirmed roster for the tournament includes:
Gaithanlung Gonmei (Kyle)
Susanta Biswas (Kimyy)
Abhijeet Katkar (Asuna)
Rithik Sohal (Romcom)
Evancius A. Sangma (Vann)

Reserve players Mohammad Saad (Apex) and Jay Mehta (J) will also accompany the squad. Steve Vitug (Dale), appointed by NODWIN Gaming (https://nodwingaming.com/), India’s National Team Partner for ENC 2026, will serve as the team’s coach.

The core trio of Kyle, Kimyy, and Asuna played a significant role in India’s ranking points accumulation. They previously represented True Rippers at the Mid Season Cup (MSC) during the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 in Paris, achieving a top 16 finish—the first for an Indian team at that tournament. Additionally, the trio secured a victory in the MOBA Legends Masters Series (MLMS).

MOBA Coach’s Outlook and Team Preparation

Steve Vitug, coach of India’s MOBA Legends: 5v5! team, commented on the roster’s composition. “The variety of experience each player brings is one of this roster’s biggest strengths,” Vitug stated. “Every player offers something unique, whether it’s leadership, mechanics, or decision-making. Our focus will be on combining these strengths into a cohesive team with a clear identity ahead of the challenge in Riyadh.”

India’s Broader Representation at ENC 2026

With this announcement, India now holds representation in eight titles at ENC 2026. Beyond MOBA Legends: 5v5!, the country will compete in Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), Chess, EA SPORTS FC, Honor of Kings, Rocket League, Trackmania, and VALORANT.

Other notable qualifications include:
EA SPORTS FC: Charanjot Singh earned a direct invitation via the ENC Rankings.
Chess: Grandmaster Nihal Sarin qualified directly through official ENC Rankings, while Mitrabha Guha secured a spot via regional qualifiers.
Special Invites: India also received special invitations for BGMI and Honor of Kings.
Regional Qualifiers: The Indian Rocket League team, VALORANT team, and Trackmania player Kunal Upreti (Spark) qualified through their respective regional events.

Attention is now focused on the ongoing EA SPORTS FC regional qualifiers. With Charanjot Singh already occupying one of India’s two available slots, another Indian player has the opportunity to qualify through the South Asia regional qualifier, from which four players will advance to the ENC 2026 main event. For further updates on these competitions and broader industry developments, readers can visit https://technosports.co.in/ (https://technosports.co.in/).