Asian Games 2026 esports: China lead, South Korea win LoL gold
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games esports event wraps up, with China taking three golds and South Korea beating Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the League of Legends final.
The esports programme at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi, Japan, has delivered its medals, with South Korea beating Chinese Taipei 3-0 in the League of Legends final on 2 October. The Korean side, which included Faker, Zeus, Canyon, Gumayusi and Keria, went through the event without losing a game.
Esports ran as a full medal sport across 11 events covering 13 games, from mobile titles such as Mobile Legends and Honor of Kings to fighting games, racing and puzzle games. Matches were held mainly at Aichi Sky Expo.
Gold medal winners
| Event | Gold |
|---|---|
| League of Legends | South Korea |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Myanmar |
| Honor of Kings | China |
| PUBG Mobile | Thailand |
| Identity V | China |
| NARAKA: Bladepoint | China |
| Pokémon Unite | Japan |
| Fighting games (team) | South Korea |
| Puyo Puyo Champions | Japan (Yuki Kurihara) |
| eFootball | Iran |
| Gran Turismo 7 | Malaysia (Taj Izrin Aiman) |
China won three events, while Japan and South Korea each took two. South Korea finished with five medals in total: two gold, one silver and two bronze. Its fighting game team beat Japan 5-2 in a final that combined Tekken 8, The King of Fighters XV and Street Fighter 6.
Why it matters
Several of the medal events were mobile titles, which shows how central phone gaming has become to competitive play across Asia. For developers, the Games also showed that simple, readable games such as Puyo Puyo can sit alongside big team shooters on a major sporting stage.
Sources: Sheep Esports · Inven Global
