Vietnam appoints League Of Legends roster for Asian Games & ENC

In addition to the Asian Games, the esports calendar is set to be extremely busy this year for Asia’s top League of Legends nations, with the Esports Nations Cup taking place next November in Riyadh. As part of the Asian Games, the VIRESA, short for Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sports Association, released a teaser on Facebook this Friday, May 22, featuring six players and two coaches.

The silhouettes were quickly identified by fans as follows:

Coaching staff: Trần "Ciel" Tiến Thịnh, Võ "Naul" Thành Luân

According to sources talking with Sheep Esports, the roster is expected to differ slightly between the two events. The 2026 Asian Games, set to take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, next September, only allow nations to field six players, while the ENC permits seven-man rosters. As a result, Nguyễn "Harky" Văn Hữu is expected to join the team for the ENC as a substitute AD Carry alongside SofM in the jungle.

Once the selection is confirmed, SofM will make his Asian Games debut as a player after previously serving as Vietnam’s Head Coach during the 2023 edition held in China. As a jungler, the Vietnamese player notably reached the Worlds 2020 final with Suning.

For a region facing ongoing financial difficulties, strong results at the Asian Games would carry major importance for the selected Vietnamese players.

The active roster is built around a mix of players from Team Secret Whales, currently dominating the LCP in 2026, and GAM Esports.

In the top lane, GAM’s Kiaya is the cornerstone of the lineup, continuing his long-standing role in Vietnam’s national team structure. He previously represented the country in China in 2023 and was also called up for the Esports Championships Asia 2025. At the Asian Games in Cần Thơ, Vietnam secured a bronze medal behind China and South Korea, both fielding non–full strength rosters.

That same event featured the core that returns in 2026: Kiaya in the top lane, alongside TSW’s Hizto in the jungle and Eddie at AD Carry. This trio forms the backbone of Vietnam’s roster for both the ENC and the Asian Games cycle. They are joined by Dire, TSW’s emerging midlane talent, tasked with competing against some of the strongest midlaners on the international stage. Unlike the ENC, organized by Saudi Arabia, the Asian Games carry significantly greater historical weight, as they are overseen by the Olympic Council of Asia.

On the staff side, TSW assistant coach Ciel and GAM head coach Naul lead the team across both competitions. GAM support Taki completes the starting five, having already represented Vietnam at the KeSPA Cup 2024 and previously played alongside Eddie throughout the 2025 season, which ended in a Worlds qualification.

Notably, no Tier 1 Vietnamese players competing abroad have been selected for this roster, including AD Carry Trần "LazyFeel" Bảo Minh (KRX), jungler Johnson "Gryffinn" Le (FlyQuest), and support Michael "Cryogen" Luu (FlyQuest).

For the Esports Nations Cup, it seems highly likely that Vietnam will receive a direct invitation. Out of the 32 nations set to compete in the final event, 16 are expected to qualify directly through a points-based system introduced by the Saudi organizers. To support its new competition, the Esports Foundation, which manages the event, created a global ranking system across all games, where selected players earn points for their country based on their results throughout the year.

As a result, with TSW’s dominant run in the LCP and three of its players expected to feature on the Vietnamese roster, the organization should provide more than enough points to place Vietnam inside the Top 16, and potentially even the Top 8, which would grant direct qualification to the playoffs. As for the remaining 16 spots, two will reportedly be awarded through wildcards at the organizers’ discretion, while the other 14 slots will be distributed through seven continental qualifiers, each granting two places.