Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi’s bid to qualify for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026 ended in disappointment as Dutch Grandmaster Benjamin Bok edged him 2-1 in sets in the India Rising final. EWC road at Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai on Saturday.Bok sealed the lone qualification spot from India’s specific path to the Esports World Cup 2026 in Paris, joining an elite 22-player field. India now has three players who have qualified for the main event. Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi. Vidit entered the summit clash after impressive wins over M Pranesh and Raunak Sadhwani, while Bok produced one of the standout performances of the tournament by eliminating Karthikeyan Murali and India No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi.Before the finale, Vidit spoke about how much it meant to qualify for the EWC after narrowly missing out last year.“The Esports World Cup is a very interesting tournament. Last year, I tried to play in the Last Chance Qualifier. I was leading the tournament, but in the last three rounds, I failed and fell,” he told TimesofIndia.com.“I flew to Riyadh specifically from the US, and it hurts to know that after all the efforts, I will not qualify.The Indian Grandmaster also highlighted the importance of hosting the LAN Finals in Mumbai.“There are very few major tournaments held in India, so I’m excited about the opportunity. I’m hoping to make it to the finals in India so my friends and family can come and watch me play in person,” he said.Players still have one shot to reach the Esports World Cup through the Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) later this year, where the last five spots for the main event are up for grabs.