14-05-2025
National Esports Championship begins to select team India for WEC 2025, Indian squad for BRICS Games finalised
The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) launched National Esports Championship 2025 (NESC25) on Wednesday to select the Indian team for the 17th World Esports Championships (WEC), organised by the International Esports Federation (IESF).
The national qualifiers, running online from May 22, will feature top Indian athletes competing in Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) and DOTA 2, with registrations open till May 19.
Matches will be streamed live on ESFI's official YouTube channel.
Furthermore, last year's NESC winner in eFootball will be granted a direct slot at the 17th WEC, following the game's removal from the previous edition's line-up.
'With NESC25, we aim to carry that momentum forward and deepen our international impact,' ESFI Director Lokesh Suji said.
'Our vision is clear—to make India an esports superpower through structured pathways, high-performance platforms, and consistent global representation.'
The ESFI also finalised the Indian roster for the upcoming BRICS Esports Championship 2025, set to take place at VK Play Arena in Moscow from May 28 to June 3.
After a double-elimination qualifier featuring 60 players from across the country, Gurashish 'Soul' Singh emerged victorious, followed closely by Shubham Khorwal.
Both athletes will represent India in Tekken 8 at the BRICS event, where the nation made history with a silver in the previous edition.
As part of Russia's official sports calendar, the tournament will see participation from China, South Africa, the UAE and Turkey among other nations.
