Esports at Asian Games 2026: All 11 Medal Events

Esports returns to the Asian Games at Aichi-Nagoya with 11 medal events, four more than at Hangzhou 2023. Competition runs 23 September to 2 October 2026 at the Aichi International Exhibition Center, and every medal counts towards the official national tally exactly as swimming or athletics does.

For Indian fans there is one change that matters more than the expansion: the title India medalled in last cycle is no longer on the programme.

All 11 Medal Events

The Olympic Council of Asia has confirmed the following line-up:

#	Title	Genre
1	League of Legends	MOBA
2	Honor of Kings	MOBA (mobile)
3	Mobile Legends: Bang Bang	MOBA (mobile)
4	Dreams of Three Kingdoms	Strategy
5	PUBG PC (Asian Games Ver.)	Battle royale
6	NARAKA	Battle royale / melee
7	eFootball	Sports simulation
8	Gran Turismo 7	Racing simulation
9	Street Fighter 6	Fighting
10	Pokémon UNITE	MOBA (mobile)
11	Puyo Puyo Champion	Puzzle

Note that PUBG PC appears in a special "Asian Games Version" — a modified build used for the Games rather than the retail title, a practice carried over from Hangzhou where competition versions removed content considered unsuitable for a multi-sport event.

Dates, Venue and IST Timings

Competition window: 23 September – 2 October 2026
Venue: Aichi International Exhibition Center
Games overall: 19 September – 4 October 2026, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan

Japan runs 3 hours 30 minutes ahead of IST. A session beginning at 10:00 AM local time in Aichi starts at 6:30 AM IST; an evening final at 7:00 PM local is 3:30 PM IST.

[!IMPORTANT] Title-by-title session times had not been published in full at the time of writing. The 23 September – 2 October window is confirmed; individual match schedules are not. Check the official Games schedule closer to each event rather than relying on a provisional slot.

What Changed Since Hangzhou

Hangzhou 2023 carried seven esports medal events. Aichi-Nagoya carries eleven — a significant expansion, and one that tilts the programme further towards mobile titles.

Aspect	Hangzhou 2023	Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Medal events	7	11
Mobile-first titles	2	3
Football sim	EA Sports FC	eFootball

The growth in mobile titles reflects where competitive play in Asia actually sits. Honor of Kings, MLBB and Pokémon UNITE are mobile-native and command enormous player bases across Southeast Asia in particular.

Where India Stands

India sends 503 competitors across 36 sports to Aichi-Nagoya. The esports contingent is a small part of that, and expectations should be calibrated accordingly.

At Hangzhou 2023, India competed in four titles: League of Legends, DOTA 2, EA Sports FC and Street Fighter V: Champion Edition. Two of those four are not on the 2026 programme in the same form — DOTA 2 is absent, and EA Sports FC has been replaced by eFootball.

The brightest individual signal is Pavan Kampelli, who won bronze in eFootball at the Asian Esports Games in Bangkok. That result is in the title that replaced the one India previously entered, which makes him India's most credible esports medal prospect in Japan.

India's final title-by-title entries had not been confirmed at the time of writing. Treat any circulating roster as provisional.

The eFootball Swap Explained

This is the change with the most direct consequence for India.

At Hangzhou, the football simulation event used EA Sports FC. For 2026 it uses eFootball, Konami's free-to-play title, instead. The two games play very differently — different shooting mechanics, different defensive systems, different competitive scenes — so a player built on one does not simply transfer to the other.

For India, the swap cuts both ways. It removes a title India had experience in, but it slots in one where an Indian player has just medalled internationally. On balance the change probably helps rather than hurts, which is not something you could say about the DOTA 2 removal.

Why Medal Status Matters

It is easy to treat esports at a multi-sport Games as a novelty. It is not, for two concrete reasons.

The medals count. Esports golds go into the official national tally alongside every traditional sport. A country's Asian Games position can move on them.

Medal status changes funding. In India, recognition at multi-sport Games is the mechanism through which a discipline becomes eligible for institutional support — federation recognition, government backing, structured selection. Esports sitting on the Asian Games programme with 11 medal events is the strongest argument its Indian advocates have.

FAQs

How many esports events are at the Asian Games 2026? Eleven medal events, up from seven at Hangzhou 2023.

What games are included? League of Legends, Honor of Kings, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Dreams of Three Kingdoms, PUBG PC (Asian Games Ver.), NARAKA, eFootball, Gran Turismo 7, Street Fighter 6, Pokémon UNITE and Puyo Puyo Champion.

When is esports at the Asian Games 2026? 23 September to 2 October 2026, at the Aichi International Exhibition Center.

What time will events be in IST? Japan is 3 hours 30 minutes ahead of IST, so a 10:00 AM local session starts at 6:30 AM IST. Per-title session times had not been published at the time of writing.

Is India competing in esports? Yes, as part of a 503-strong overall contingent. Title-by-title entries were not confirmed at the time of writing. Pavan Kampelli, an eFootball bronze medallist at the Asian Esports Games in Bangkok, is India's most credible prospect.

Do esports medals count in the official tally? Yes. They are counted alongside every other sport at the Games.

Play something offline too. Find sports communities and players near you on the Sport I Play communities page.

Esports at Asian Games 2026: Guide to All 11 Events