GodLike and S8UL merge teams for COD Mobile World Championship amid visa issues

Two of India’s most popular esports organisations, GodLike and S8UL, have announced that they are merging their rosters for the COD Mobile World Championship 2025 Finals.

This comes as both teams face visa issues that would have prevented them from participating in the event. The World Championship Finals is taking place in Katowice, Poland, from November 7th to 9th.

The merged team will be called Newgen Ninjas, comprising three players from S8UL and two from GodLike. To compete in the tournament, Indian players require a Schengen visa. However, due to the high volume of applications, the next available visa appointment date for Indians travelling to Poland is May 4, 2026, according to Atlys.

The updated roster for Newgen Ninjas is as follows:

GodLike Esports and S8UL have both subsequently announced that both organisations are exiting Call of Duty Mobile esports. S8UL’s creator Sid also posted on X that he “can’t wait to talk about the sad state of affairs with CODM esports.”

It is understood that GodLike and S8UL are disappointed with how the organisers handled the visa issue.

GodLike’s co-founder, Amar Chandgude, publicly voiced these concerns in a livestream, citing a lack of support from Activision for the region. He also said that the responsibility of ensuring ample time to secure visas lies with the tournament organisers, given the region they chose to host the event.

Activision, in a statement, said it has been working closely with the affected teams and embassies to resolve the situation.

“Unfortunately, due to matters beyond our control, some teams and players were not able to secure their visas in time,” the company added.

Stand Point Gaming from China has also been unable to secure visas for the tournament. Therefore, the team’s slot has been given to OUG.

Furthermore, following the merger of GodLike and S8UL, the open slot has been awarded to the next highest seeds from Europe, Animus.