Esports returns as a full medal sport at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya, Japan, and it’s bigger than ever — 11 titles, 11 gold medals, staged at Aichi Sky Expo from September 23 to October 2, 2026. This is your hub for the complete esports line-up: the games, the schedule, the qualified nations, and how to follow it all.
Esports Gold Medallists
Winners will be listed here as each title is decided (🥇).
- No medals yet — esports runs September 23 – October 2, 2026.
Esports at a glance
| Titles | 11 games · 11 gold medals |
| Venue | Aichi Sky Expo, Nagoya, Aichi |
| Dates | September 23 – October 2, 2026 |
| Format | Mix of direct invitations and regional qualifiers |
| Debuted | Esports was a medal sport at Hangzhou 2023 (then 7 titles) |
Esports first appeared as a medal event at Hangzhou 2023 with seven titles; Aichi–Nagoya 2026 expands that to eleven, leaning heavily into mobile and cross-platform games that dominate Asian audiences.
The 11 esports titles
The confirmed line-up spans PC, console and mobile — with mobile giants like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings front and centre.
- League of Legends
- Honor of Kings
- Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
- PUBG Mobile
- Naraka: Bladepoint
- Identity V
- Pokémon UNITE
- eFootball
- Gran Turismo 7
- Puyo Puyo Champions
- Competitive Martial Arts (a single team event across Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and The King of Fighters XV)
Esports schedule (provisional)
All games run at Aichi Sky Expo. Dates below are provisional (via Liquipedia) and should be reconfirmed against the official AINAGOC schedule.
| Date (2026) | Title | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 23 | eFootball | 25 |
| Sep 23 | Gran Turismo 7 | 16 |
| Sep 23–24 | Naraka: Bladepoint | 8 |
| Sep 25–26 | Competitive Martial Arts (SF6 · Tekken 8 · KOF XV) | 15 |
| Sep 26 | Puyo Puyo Champions | 12 |
| Sep 27 | Pokémon UNITE | 10 |
| Sep 27–28 | Honor of Kings | 11 |
| Sep 28–29 | PUBG Mobile | 12 |
| Sep 28–30 | Identity V | 10 |
| Oct 1 | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | 11 |
| Oct 2 | League of Legends | 8 |
Format notes: eFootball is a team event pairing one Mobile player and one PC player per nation. Competitive Martial Arts awards a single medal to a three-game team (one player each for Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and The King of Fighters XV).
Qualified nations (provisional)
Around 25 nations are set to compete across the eleven titles, some by direct invitation and others through qualifiers. Several spots are still to be confirmed, and the qualified line-ups for eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, Competitive Martial Arts and Puyo Puyo Champions are still being finalised.
| Nation | Titles qualified | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong, China | 6 | Naraka, Pokémon UNITE, Honor of Kings, Identity V, MLBB, LoL |
| Indonesia | 6 | Naraka, Pokémon UNITE, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Identity V, MLBB |
| Chinese Taipei | 5 | Naraka, Pokémon UNITE, PUBG Mobile, Identity V, LoL |
| Malaysia | 5 | Naraka, Honor of Kings, Identity V, MLBB, LoL |
| Philippines | 5 | Naraka, Pokémon UNITE, Honor of Kings, Identity V, MLBB |
| South Korea | 5 | Pokémon UNITE, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Identity V, LoL |
| Vietnam | 5 | Naraka, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Identity V, LoL |
| China | 4 | Naraka, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Identity V |
| Thailand | 4 | Naraka, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Identity V |
| Japan | 3 | Pokémon UNITE, PUBG Mobile, Identity V |
| Kazakhstan | 3 | Pokémon UNITE, Honor of Kings, MLBB |
| Myanmar | 3 | Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, MLBB |
Provisional participant data via Liquipedia; subject to change as qualifiers conclude.
Storylines to watch
- Host nation Japan sits some events out. Invited across all eleven titles as hosts, Japan withdrew from several — including League of Legends — and isn’t fielding teams in MLBB, Honor of Kings or Naraka: Bladepoint.
- China skips League of Legends. Despite winning LoL gold on its 2018 debut and taking silver on home soil in 2023, China is not entering the event in 2026 — a notable absence at the top of the sport.
- Mobile is king. With MLBB, PUBG Mobile and Honor of Kings all on the programme, Southeast Asian powerhouses — Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia — are set to be major medal contenders.
How to watch
Esports sessions run at Aichi Sky Expo and are expected to be carried through the Games’ official broadcast partners in each region (in India, via the Sony Sports Network and Sony LIV). Confirm channels and any dedicated esports streams closer to the Games.
FAQ
Is esports a medal sport at the 2026 Asian Games? Yes. Esports awards 11 gold medals across 11 titles, staged at Aichi Sky Expo from September 23 to October 2, 2026.
Which games are in the 2026 Asian Games esports programme? League of Legends, Honor of Kings, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, PUBG Mobile, Naraka: Bladepoint, Identity V, Pokémon UNITE, eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, Puyo Puyo Champions, and a Competitive Martial Arts team event (Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, The King of Fighters XV).
Where is esports held? At Aichi Sky Expo, the exhibition venue near Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture.
Is China playing League of Legends? No — China is not entering League of Legends in 2026, despite winning it in 2018 and finishing second in 2023.
Are these dates final? The per-game schedule and participant list are provisional (via Liquipedia) and will be confirmed by AINAGOC’s official esports session schedule closer to the Games.
Confirmed facts (11 titles, Aichi Sky Expo, Sep 23 – Oct 2) per official AINAGOC information; per-game schedule and participants provisional via Liquipedia and subject to change.
