Asian Games 2026 League of Legends qualified teams confirmed

After three days of competition in Kuala Lumpur, the eight nations that will take part in the League of Legends tournament at the Asian Games 2026 are finally known. While South Korea and Taiwan (competing as Chinese Taipei under Olympic regulations) had already secured qualification thanks to their results at the previous edition, 14 teams battled this weekend to determine the six nations that will join them in Japan next September for the final competition.

In the end, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, India, the United Arab Emirates, and Malaysia secured their spots at the event.

In a format that was as fast-paced as it was unforgiving, tournament favorites Hong Kong and Vietnam unsurprisingly came out on top, dominating their respective groups and claiming the first two places of the qualifier.

The 14 participating nations were split into four groups of three or four teams and competed between Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13. The winner of each group earned a direct slot to the Main Event (Hong Kong, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and India), while the runner-up advanced to an additional group stage, where the four second-place teams battled for the final two spots available for Japan.

As a result, Malaysia, Mongolia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates faced each other in a Best-of-One round-robin for the remaining slots. After defeating Mongolia and Malaysia in its first two matches, the UAE became the first team to secure qualification, even going on to win its final match against Jordan to claim a Main Event berth as the fifth qualified nation.

Tied in the standings before facing each other in the final match of the qualification tournament, Malaysia ultimately defeated Mongolia to secure its second-ever League of Legends Asian Games appearance while denying its opponents a historic first qualification.

According to information available on the reference wiki Leaguepedia, the Main Event is expected to take place over three days at the Aichi Expo near Nagoya, from September 29 to October 1, featuring a single-elimination bracket, along with a third-place match for the bronze medal.

For the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4, the Olympic Council of Asia has designated eleven esports titles as medal events. Some, such as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Pokemon Unite, will award medals for the first time, while League of Legends will do so for the third consecutive edition.

Champion of the inaugural edition in 2018, held in Jakarta, Indonesia, China is notably absent from this third edition. While the Chinese Olympic Committee has not publicly explained its decision, geopolitical tensions with Japan, the host nation, are widely considered a likely factor behind the country's withdrawal.

The expected dominance of South Korea may also have played a role. A similar sentiment has been expressed by the Japan eSports Union, which has stated that participation is only worthwhile when there is a realistic chance of winning a medal. It will also mark the first time that a host nation does not participate in the League of Legends competition.