The Pokémon Company announced details of the newly launched India League, part of the Pokémon UNITE Asia Champions League (PUACL) 2025. As part of this initiative, eight Indian esports organizations have been invited to participate in the tournament, with the unique roadmap and incentives attracting the country’s top esports organizations to sign rosters in India.
The eight partnered teams for the inaugural PUACL 2025 India League are as follows:
GodLike Esports
Gods Reign
Global Esports
Marcos Gaming
Reckoning Esports
Revenant Esports
S8UL Esports
True Rippers
These teams will compete in the Regular Season of the PUACL 2025 India League, which takes place across eight matchdays on weekends from Nov. 16, 2024, to Jan. 26, 2025. The competition will include a Group Stage and Playoffs to determine the champion team, which will represent the country at the Pokémon UNITE ACL 2025 Offline Final in Japan.
Seven of the matchdays will feature the Group Stage, where teams will compete in a single-elimination bracket on each day of competition. The overall standings in the group stage will decide their seedings for the Playoffs on Jan. 26, 2025, where the eight teams will compete in a knockout round system to crown the champion.
The prize pool for the Pokémon UNITE ACL 2025 India League is an impressive $40,000, distributed as follows:
1st place: $16,000
2nd place: $8,000
3rd place: $6,000
4th place: $4,000
5th place: $2,000
6th place: $2,000
7th place: $1,200
8th place: $800
The Pokémon UNITE team at The Pokémon Company said: “We are thrilled to bring the first-ever partnered PUACL League to India, marking a historic step in the evolution of the Indian Pokémon UNITE community. With this tournament and our dedicated roadmap, we’re spotlighting the incredible talent within the country. This format provides a pathway for Indian teams to showcase their skills on a global stage in Japan, underscoring our commitment to building a vibrant, competitive future for Pokémon UNITE in India.”
Skyesports, which has been working with The Pokémon Company since 2022 to develop Pokémon UNITE esports in India, has been selected as the esports partner for the event.
Additionally, an open-for-all tournament for Indian players, the Winter Open, is also coming soon. More information about it will be announced at a later date.
Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO of Skyesports, commented: "Since 2022, we have been diligently working with The Pokémon Company to grow Pokémon UNITE in India. Now, with a clear roadmap that ensures sustainability and offers a path to represent the country on an international stage, we’ve successfully brought India’s top esports organizations into the game, establishing it as a leading title in the country. The open-for-all Winter Open further gives every player a chance to earn their spot at PUACL Final in Japan, creating a truly inclusive and unprecedented opportunity for the Indian gaming community."