India's Spark qualifies for Trackmania event at Esports World Cup

Mumbai: Indian Trackmania player Kunal Upreti, popularly known as Spark, has qualified for the Esports World Cup, emerging as the country's lone representative in the racing title after securing his berth through the Asia and Oceania qualifiers.

Spark is one of three Trackmania athletes from Indian esports organisation S8UL to make the cut for the tournament's debut edition, alongside Britain's Alexander Page (Whizzy) and American Neal Kamdar (Neal).

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Trackmania is widely regarded as one of the world's most unique and skill-intensive racing esports titles, challenging players to navigate custom-built tracks filled with jumps, loops, drifts, and technical corners.

At EWC 2026, the title will feature 32 of the world's top competitors battling for a prize pool of USD 500,000 (Rs 4.7 crore) from August 19 to 22.

Spark competed in the Asia and Oceania qualifier, which featured 14 players battling for four EWC berths.

The 22-year-old has won Trackmania India Cup editions 5, 6, 7, and 8, in addition to claiming the Mahi Cup in 2025. He has also represented India internationally at the Trackmania Games, the Trackmania Seasonal Country Championship, and the Trackmania Country Championship.

Spark entered the qualifier through his Elite Cup Ranking and immediately established himself among the frontrunners. He finished first in Round 1, followed by a second-place finish in Round 2 of the Upper Bracket.

Strong performances in the later stages, including 141 points in Round 3 and 142 points in the Grand Final, saw him finish second overall and earn his place at EWC 2026.

"Being the only Indian player to qualify for Trackmania at this year's Esports World Cup makes this achievement even more meaningful," said Kunal Upreti aka Spark in a release.

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"The Indian Trackmania community has continued to grow over the years, and I hope this result encourages more players to pursue the game competitively. I am proud to represent both India and S8UL on such a big stage."

Scheduled to take place in Paris, France, from July 6 to August 23, EWC 2026 will feature a record-breaking prize pool of USD 75 million (approximately Rs 714 crore) and bring together more than 2,000 players representing 200 clubs from over 100 countries.