Esports to Leave Asian Games After 2026 as Kuwait Hosts New 2027 Event

Esports will leave the Asian Games programme after Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with Kuwait confirmed as host of a new dedicated continental event beginning next year.

The Olympic Council of Asia has signed the Host City Contract for the inaugural Asian Esports and Mind Sports Games in 2027. Around 4,000 athletes are expected to take part across esports and mind sports, although the competition dates and game lineup have not yet been announced.

The decision to separate esports from the Asian Games was made before the Kuwait event received its host. At an Executive Board meeting in November 2024, the OCA unanimously approved a proposal to remove esports from the Asian Games programme after Aichi-Nagoya and establish a separate Asian Esports and Mind Games competition.

Esports first appeared at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 as a demonstration sport before becoming a full medal discipline at Hangzhou 2023. Its final Asian Games programme is also its largest. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 features 11 esports medal events, with competition running from September 23 to October 2.

The lineup includes League of Legends, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Pokémon Unite, Naraka: Bladepoint, Gran Turismo 7, Identity V, Puyo Puyo Champions, eFootball and a combined fighting game event featuring titles from the Street Fighter, Tekken and The King of Fighters series.

Moving esports into a separate competition gives the OCA a dedicated event rather than fitting game tournaments into the wider Asian Games schedule. The first Asian Esports and Mind Sports Games will take place in Kuwait in 2027, with the OCA expecting roughly 4,000 competitors. That figure covers the complete event rather than esports alone.

The OCA has not yet confirmed which games will be contested, how many esports medal events there will be or how qualification will work. Details of the mind sports programme are also still to come.

The OCA says the new event is intended to create more opportunities for athletes and support the development of esports and mind sports across Asia.

The OCA is already discussing the future of the new event beyond its Kuwait debut. The Philippine Olympic Committee has expressed interest in hosting the second Asian Esports and Mind Sports Games in 2029. The proposal is expected to be considered at the OCA General Assembly in Doha in 2027.

Kuwait remains the only confirmed host for now, with the programme and dates for the inaugural 2027 Games still to be announced.