S8UL Joins Elite Esports World Cup 2025 as Club Partner

Indian esports organization S8UL has been selected as one of the club partners for the Esports World Cup 2025, marking a significant achievement for the team and Indian esports as a whole.

The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) has expanded its Club Partner Program for 2025, now including 40 top esports organizations worldwide, up from 30 in previous years. This expansion comes with a substantial $20 million investment aimed at building a sustainable global esports ecosystem.

As part of this prestigious group, S8UL will receive up to six-figure funding to help grow their brand and expand their international fanbase. This partnership goes beyond competitive gaming, with a strong emphasis on fan engagement and content creation.

Most of all, the main emphasis of this program is to promote the upcoming Esports World Cup 2025 which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, bringing together top clubs to compete for substantial prize money across multiple games.

The Rise of S8UL

Founded in 2018 by gaming personalities Naman "Mortal" Mathur, Animesh "8Bit Thug" Agarwal, and Lokesh "Goldy" Jain, S8UL emerged from a partnership between Team SouL and 8Bit Creatives. Recently, in March 2025, businessman and esports enthusiast Sumit Sovasaria joined as a co-founder to strengthen the organization's leadership team.

S8UL first made their mark through Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), where they've consistently performed well. But they didn't limit themself to one esports as, they've expanded into other popular titles including Pokémon UNITE, VALORANT, and Call of Duty: Mobile.

Their Pokémon UNITE team has regularly secured top-three finishes in regional tournaments, while their VALORANT roster, formed in February 2024, competes in Challengers South Asia 2025: Split 1. The organization recently reassembled their Call of Duty: Mobile team after a break since 2021, preparing for the upcoming CDM Major China Masters 2025: S9.

Beyond competitive gaming, S8UL has established itself as a major content creation hub, housing over 25 of India's leading gaming creators. This roster includes popular names like Mortal, Scout, PayalGaming, Regaltos, and Snax.

This successful blend of esports competition and entertainment has earned S8UL a massive following, with over 1 million YouTube subscribers and strong engagement across Instagram and Discord. The organization's content often incorporates elements of Indian pop culture, including Bollywood references and local meme trends, which has helped broaden their appeal beyond traditional gaming audiences.

The S8UL Gaming Festival in 2023, which attracted more than 13,000 attendees in Bangalore, demonstrates the organization's ability to unite and engage the gaming community in real-world events.

Award-Winning Excellence

S8UL's impact on the esports landscape has been recognized through numerous prestigious awards. They made history as the first organization globally to win Content Group of the Year for three consecutive years (2022–2024) at the Esports Awards.

At the MOBIES Awards 2024, S8UL won Mobile Organisation of the Year, while team member PayalGaming was named Mobile Streamer of the Year. The organization previously secured the Global Impact on Mobile Gaming award at the inaugural MOBIES Awards in 2023 and received a Fan Engagement badge in the Esports Awards' Ones to Watch Class of 2024.

Team co-founder Naman "Mortal" Mathur has also received individual recognition with five consecutive nominations at the Esports Awards from 2020 to 2024, including for Esports Personality of the Year.

Strategic Partnerships

S8UL has demonstrated impressive business acumen, collaborating with approximately 560 brands over four years. In the current financial year alone, they've secured over 120 partnership deals spanning both gaming and non-gaming sectors.

Notable collaborations include work with Krafton to promote titles like Bullet Echo India (2024) and Road to Valor: Empires (2023). In 2023, S8UL formed a strategic alliance with Global Esports aimed at growing VALORANT's presence in India by leveraging the strengths of both organizations.

With their selection for the Esports World Cup 2025, S8UL continues to break new ground for Indian esports on the global stage, representing a significant milestone in their ongoing journey of growth and excellence.