Asian Games 2026 esports: Every game, medal date and team to watch

The 2026 Asian Games are underway in Japan, with 11 esports medals to be decided at Aichi Sky Expo between September 23 and October 2. Gran Turismo 7 and eFootball open the medal schedule, while League of Legends closes it on the final day.

National teams change the usual shape of several competitions. South Korea's League roster combines players from three LCK organisations, while Japan fields one specialist each in Street Fighter 6, TEKKEN 8 and THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV for a single shared medal. eFootball splits each country across PC and mobile, and Naraka: Bladepoint uses Martial Artist Mode instead of its usual battle royale format.

Those differences also affect when each event becomes worth following. Some competitions begin days before the medals are decided, several overlap, and a few use formats where the standings are already taking shape before the final session starts.

The medal schedule runs from September 23 to October 2, with Gran Turismo 7 and eFootball first up and League of Legends closing the programme.

Here is when each event reaches its medal session:

Fighting Games works differently from the other medal events, with one specialist selected for each of the three titles. This means that each country selects one player for Street Fighter 6, one for TEKKEN 8 and one for THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV, with all three results feeding into the same medal. A strong run in one game can still leave the team relying on its other two specialists.

eFootball uses a similar shared-medal setup across two platforms. Each country selects one PC player and one mobile specialist, with both results counting toward the same national entry. A country therefore needs both sides of its lineup to perform well if it wants to stay in medal contention.

A few of these games will play very differently from the versions we usually see on the esports calendar. Some changes are small, others completely reshape what you are watching.

There are a few awkward overlaps too. Fighting Games reach the semifinals on September 25 before the medal matches a day later, while Pokémon UNITE is running its group stage across September 25 and 26.

Japan has several different approaches across its home Games. Its Fighting Games lineup brings together Higuchi in Street Fighter 6, NOBI in TEKKEN 8 and SCORE in THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV. The three normally represent ZETA DIVISION, TeamYAMASA and AMATERASU GAMING, but their results now feed into one Japanese medal campaign.

The country's Pokémon UNITE roster looks much closer to an established club team. Five of the six players come from FENNEL, with REJECT's piui joining them for the Asian Games. Japan begins in a group with India and South Korea on September 25.

In Puyo Puyo Champions, Japan turns to YUUKI. He won the 2024 Puyo Puyo Global Ranking Match, finished second in the 2025 Global Ranking Series and reached the top four at the 2025 Puyo Puyo Grand Prix Final.

China has medal chances spread across Honor of Kings, PUBG MOBILE, Naraka: Bladepoint and Identity V. Its PUBG MOBILE team arrives as defending Asian Games champion after taking gold in Hangzhou. South Korea won silver there and Chinese Taipei bronze, while Pakistan enters this year's event after topping the qualifying finals.

China's absence from League of Legends is just as noticeable. It removes one of South Korea's most familiar international rivals from the final esports event of the Games.

The Philippines arrives in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang after winning six of its seven qualifying matches. Sibol beat Indonesia during that run, with KarlTzy and Kelra among the names retained for the main event. Cambodia handed the Philippines its only defeat with a 2-0 win.

The Philippines opens against Jordan and Kazakhstan in Group C, with the top two advancing. Cambodia shares the two-team Group D with Mongolia, where both countries already have quarterfinal places and their match decides seeding.

The knockout rounds use best-of-three series through the quarterfinals and semifinals before the gold medal is decided in a best-of-seven final on October 1.

The Philippines also qualified for Honor of Kings, although Indonesia finished above it in that qualifying group. That medal is decided on September 28, one day before the Mobile Legends tournament begins.

South Korea enters the final esports event as defending Asian Games champion after winning gold in Hangzhou in 2023. Its roster is Zeus, Canyon, Zeka, Faker, Gumayusi and Keria, bringing together players from three LCK organisations. The two midlaners create the most obvious early selection question.

Starting Zeka puts him alongside Hanwha Life Esports teammates Zeus and Gumayusi. Faker already has T1 support Keria beside him, while Canyon comes in from Gen.G. The choice therefore affects how much existing club chemistry carries into the national lineup before South Korea even loads into its first game on September 29.

Chinese Taipei brings JunJia and Doggo, while Vietnam includes Kiaya. Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates complete the eight-team field. Neither China nor Japan is competing in League this time. The gold-medal session closes the esports programme on October 2.

The official Japanese esports hub lists OCA's Asian Games TV for English coverage. TBS Sports' official YouTube channel carries confirmed Japanese domestic streams, including selected preliminary rounds and medal sessions involving Japan.

All times below are in Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9). September 26 is one of the busiest medal days. Puyo Puyo Champions runs from 9 AM to 2 PM, followed by the Fighting Games finals from 4 PM to 8 PM. League of Legends closes the programme on October 2 with a session scheduled from noon to 8 PM.

Those are full broadcast windows rather than guaranteed match start times, so individual series can begin later within each block.

The Asian Games are at their most interesting when familiar esports stop following their usual rules. A Street Fighter 6 player can dominate his bracket and still need two teammates from completely different games to finish the job, while a League roster that would never exist during the LCK season gets only a few days to make those pieces work together.