India could be on the verge of becoming one of the world’s biggest esports markets, with the country’s enormous gaming audience, growing competitive ecosystem and evolving government policies creating the conditions for rapid expansion, according to Mike McCabe, COO and Deputy CEO of the Esports Foundation.
Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the ongoing Esports World Cup (EWC), McCabe said he believes there is no other country with greater potential for esports growth than India. He pointed to the country’s massive fan base and the extraordinary enthusiasm surrounding Indian teams competing on the international stage as major advantages that could help the country establish itself as a global esports powerhouse.
McCabe said the Esports Foundation is already increasing its investment and engagement in India, with dedicated strategies being developed specifically to support the country’s growth. He described India as a personal priority and said recent changes in the policy environment could open the door to a period of rapid acceleration for the sector.
India’s Massive Fan Base Could Drive Global Growth
India has emerged as one of the world’s largest gaming markets, supported by its huge young population, widespread smartphone adoption and rapidly expanding digital ecosystem. While competitive esports is still developing compared with established markets in East Asia, Europe and North America, the scale of India’s gaming audience gives it enormous long-term potential.
According to McCabe, the passion among Indian fans is already visible at international competitions, particularly when Indian clubs participate in major tournaments.
He said the foundation has been closely observing the enthusiasm surrounding Indian teams and believes that this fan engagement can eventually translate into a much stronger professional ecosystem, including teams, players, tournaments, sponsors and other businesses operating around competitive gaming.
The organisation is therefore looking beyond simply bringing international competitions to India. Its focus is increasingly on helping build the underlying ecosystem that can allow Indian esports organisations and players to compete consistently at the highest level.
Esports Foundation Deepens Engagement With India
The Esports Foundation has already begun working with Indian esports stakeholders.
The organisation partnered with JioBLAST to conduct qualification events for the Esports World Cup in India, giving local players and teams a pathway towards competing at the global tournament.
McCabe said the qualification events have performed strongly and that the foundation has also been meeting Indian clubs participating in competitions such as PUBG Mobile to understand the challenges they face.
The objective is to determine how international organisations can support not only individual teams but the wider Indian esports ecosystem.
This could involve helping improve competitive structures, developing pathways for players, supporting professional clubs and creating stronger connections between Indian esports organisations and the global competitive gaming industry.
India Could Enter a New Phase of Esports Growth
The comments come at a time when esports is expanding rapidly worldwide and becoming increasingly commercialised.
Major tournaments now attract millions of viewers, while professional esports organisations are increasingly working with global brands seeking to reach younger audiences.
McCabe believes India could experience particularly rapid growth if its regulatory and policy environment continues to evolve.
He said recent developments in government policy have created greater opportunities for the industry and could help unlock investment and participation across the sector.
For India, this could mean the emergence of a more structured esports economy, with opportunities extending well beyond professional players.
Game development, tournament production, broadcasting, content creation, coaching, analytics, sponsorship, marketing and esports technology could all benefit from a larger competitive ecosystem.
Esports World Cup Reaches New Scale
The India opportunity is emerging as the Esports World Cup itself continues to expand.
The 2026 edition features more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries, competing across 25 tournaments covering 24 games.
The tournament also features a record US$75 million prize pool, highlighting the enormous amount of money now flowing into competitive gaming.
More than 1.5 million players participated in approximately 330 qualification events leading into the competition, demonstrating the scale of the global competitive gaming pipeline.
However, this year’s event has also presented significant logistical challenges.
EWC Moves From Riyadh to Paris
The 2026 Esports World Cup was relocated to Paris after organisers determined that travel disruptions and regional volatility made hosting the competition in Riyadh too difficult.
The decision came after approximately 10 months of preparations for the event in Riyadh.
According to McCabe, cancellation was never seriously considered because doing so would have had a major impact on players and esports clubs that depend on the annual tournament as one of the biggest competitive and financial opportunities of the year.
Moving the event was also difficult because the EWC operates within a very specific seven-week window when many of the world’s biggest games are available for tournament play.
Delaying the competition could therefore have resulted in the loss of a significant portion of its planned tournaments.
Instead, organisers opted for relocation.
The move has also allowed the EWC to significantly expand its physical presence. McCabe said the new event infrastructure in Paris includes a main venue with more than 7,100 seats, compared with a venue of approximately 2,000 seats in Riyadh.
The organisers therefore managed not only to preserve the competition but also to create a larger live experience for fans.
Can Esports Become Commercially Self-Sustaining?
The rapid expansion of esports has also raised questions about the long-term financial sustainability of major competitions.
The Esports Foundation paid approximately €250 million to France to organise the event in Paris, making the commercial scale of the tournament enormous.
McCabe believes sponsorship and commercial interest are growing rapidly, particularly as major brands increasingly recognise esports as a way to connect with younger consumers.
For companies looking to reach Gen Z and younger digital audiences, competitive gaming offers a combination of entertainment, online communities and highly engaged fan bases that traditional advertising channels may struggle to replicate.
The growth of sponsorship revenues could therefore become increasingly important as esports organisations attempt to build sustainable businesses rather than relying primarily on external investment.
Esports and the Olympic Dream
Another major question surrounding the future of competitive gaming is its relationship with the Olympic movement.
The Esports World Cup Foundation and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had previously agreed to work towards the Olympic Esports Games under a long-term partnership signed in 2024.
However, that agreement was mutually terminated in October last year.
Despite the setback, McCabe said he remains optimistic about the possibility of future collaboration between esports and the Olympic movement.
He argued that esports is capable of operating at a much faster pace than traditional sporting organisations and pointed to the scale of the Esports World Cup as evidence of the industry’s ability to organise massive international competitions within short timeframes.
The foundation believes that nation-based esports competitions could represent the next major growth opportunity for the industry.
Rather than clubs and commercial organisations being the only focus, national teams could create an entirely new layer of international competition and potentially bring esports closer to the traditional sporting ecosystem.
McCabe said the IOC’s long history and established brand require careful consideration, but indicated that discussions around potential future cooperation could continue.
India’s Next Big Sporting Opportunity?
India’s esports ambitions arrive at a particularly important moment.
The country already has one of the world’s largest gaming audiences, but converting that audience into a globally competitive professional ecosystem will require investment in infrastructure, training, tournaments, player development and long-term commercial structures.
The increasing involvement of international esports organisations could accelerate that process.
If policy reforms continue, investment increases and Indian clubs are able to develop stronger international competitiveness, India could move from being primarily a massive gaming and esports audience to becoming a major producer of world-class esports talent and organisations.
With global tournaments becoming larger, prize pools reaching unprecedented levels and brands increasingly targeting gaming audiences, the next few years could determine whether India’s enormous potential translates into a dominant position on the international esports stage.
For the Esports Foundation, the message is clear: India is no longer simply a market to watch—it could become one of the central engines of global esports growth.
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