Asian Games 2026 esports: schedule, titles and India squad

Esports will be part of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya with competition scheduled from September 23 to October 2 at the Aichi Sky Expo. The Olympic Council of Asia approved 13 game titles grouped into 11 medal events; results will count toward the Games’ official medal table. Twenty-three nations have entered esports events.

The approved titles include League of Legends, Honor of Kings, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Pokemon UNITE, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version), eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, Puyo Puyo Champions, Naraka: Bladepoint and Identity V. Three fighting games-Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and The King of Fighters XV-are contesting a single combined Competitive Martial Arts medal. Group play across most titles begins on September 23. Early events include eFootball and Gran Turismo 7, while League of Legends is scheduled to run into October 2. The wider Asian Games runs from September 19 to October 4.

India’s 15-player esports contingent was approved by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on August 22. The government-sanctioned roster will compete in four titles only: League of Legends, Pokemon UNITE, eFootball and Puyo Puyo Champions. The squad was chosen after the National Esports Championship 2026, organised by the Esports Federation of India, and other qualifying events. Not all national champions were selected for the final team: 15-year-old Gran Turismo 7 NESC winner Abdus Salaam Mohammed was not included. India’s League of Legends players advanced through a separate two-stage 14-team regional qualifier after winning nationals to secure their Asian Games berth.

The League of Legends team will compete under the S8UL Esports banner with Akshaj “Kat Bot” Shenoy as captain, joined by Aakash “Infi” Shandilya, Sanindhya “Deadcorporal” Malik, Mihir “Lotus” Ranjan, Ahmed “Nero” Shahid Israr and Rahul “Bob” Bisht. Shenoy called qualifying ‘a proud moment for all of us’ and noted several players return from India’s 2023 Asian Games squad. The Pokemon UNITE lineup is captained by Adnan Mohammed Badshah and includes Reuben Godfrey Fernandes, Sai Krishna Nalluri, Dipjyoti Laxman Nath, Rudra Narayan Nayak and Deepkumar Vipulbhai Patel. India’s eFootball entry comprises Chinmay Sahoo and Danial Shakeel Patel; Patel was part of the pair that won the FIFAe Continental Championship Asia in August 2026 and reached the semifinals of the first FIFAe World Cup featuring eFootball Mobile in 2024. Paritosh, who advanced from a lower-bracket run at NESC 2026 that included a win over 2018 bronze medallist Tirth Mehta, will represent India in Puyo Puyo Champions.

India is not fielding entries in PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. Both titles are linked to publishers with Chinese ownership and remain affected by India’s 2020 ban on apps with Chinese ownership ties. The localised Battlegrounds Mobile India build differs from the PUBG Mobile Asian Games Version and is therefore not eligible for national team selection.

A legal challenge over India’s selection process is pending in the Delhi High Court. The E Sports Games Federation has petitioned the court, questioning the Esports Federation of India’s authority to select and nominate athletes under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. The court issued a procedural order requiring respondents to file counter affidavits within four weeks; the case is listed for October 1, during the Asian Games competition window. Until the court decides, the 15 athletes named by the ministry remain India’s official esports squad.

Esports first appeared as a demonstration sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games and became an official medal sport at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. The Aichi-Nagoya event will be the second Asian Games where esports results contribute to national medal totals.

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