ESFI Opens Nationals For Asian Games Esports Qualification

ESFI opens registrations for National Esports Championships to select India’s squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) on Saturday opened registrations for the National Esports Championships, a qualification tournament that will determine the country's contingent for the Asian Games.

India will have the opportunity to compete across 10 video game titles at the Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan from September 19 to October 4.

Esports will feature as a full-fledged medal event for only the second time, since the Hangzhou Asian Games held in China in 2023.

Registrations for the Nationals will continue till March 7.

The NESC qualification will feature competition across titles confirmed under the Asian Games Esports Program and will include Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, The King of Fighters XV (clubbed as one team event), Pokemon Unite, League of Legends, PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version), Puyo Puyo, Naraka: Bladepoint, eFootball and Gran Turismo.

Through NESC 2026, ESFI will identify and select athletes to represent India across eight medal events, offering a cumulative medal opportunity of up to 24 medals at the continental showcase.

For PUBG (Asian Games Version), ESFI will conduct the selection through BGMI

Vinod Kumar Tiwari, president, Esports Federation of India said, "With esports now firmly established as a medal event, our focus is on identifying and nurturing the very best talent the country has to offer.

"NESC 2026 provides a fair, competitive, and transparent platform for athletes to earn their place in the national squad. We encourage players from across India to step forward, compete with determination, and seize this opportunity to represent the nation on one of Asia's biggest sporting stages."

For PUBG (Asian Games Version), ESFI will conduct the selection and evaluation process through BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India).

However, the final participation and representation will remain subject to approval by the concerned competent authority.

The Championship is open to all, gender no bar

The championship is open to professional esports athletes as well as aspiring competitive gamers from across the country, irrespective of gender.

The national selection process will extend over 30 days.

Following the conclusion of the national championships, the selected teams and athletes will advance to the Asian regional qualifiers which will be taking place between May and July, 2026.

These qualifiers will determine the final qualification status ahead of the Games in September in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.