The 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) are the focus of attention for Vietnamese electronic sports (Esports) this year, in a context where the sport is organized for the second consecutive time in the official competition program.
This is the third time that Esports has participated in the ASIAD, but it is the first time that there are up to 11 medal competition events, which is higher than the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and the 2022 Asian Games in China.
Among the 11 eSports events competing at ASIAD 2026, PUBG Mobile continues to be popular and promises to be one of the most followed competitive categories.
Previously, the ASIAD 20 selection round of PUBG Mobile discipline, jointly organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF), Vietnam Electronic Sports Entertainment Association (VIRESA), Tencent Games and VNGGames, will be held at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for three days, June 19-21, with the ultimate goal of qualifying for this year’s Asian Games.
With the participation of 23 Asian teams, it is also the largest event among the ASIAD regional eSports qualifiers. In addition, this selection round is also an opportunity for Asian sports fans to express their support and pride for the teams.
All teams participating in the ASIAD 2026 selection round – PUBG Mobile discipline – will start from the group stage, which will take place over two days, June 19 (group A) and June 20 (group B). The 12 names with the best results in the 2 groups will enter the general final on June 21 and will play 6 matches to score points.
Ultimately, the top 8 teams will qualify for Japan to compete for medals at this year’s ASIAD. With the basic Battle Royale format, teams will compete on two maps, Erangel and Miramar. Previously, 4 teams were directly qualified for the main event of ASIAD 20, namely China, South Korea, Taiwan (China) and the host team, Japan.
The Vietnamese national team participating in the selection round will include 1 coach and 5 athletes. The members of the Vietnamese national team are all the main members of the Team Flash PUBG Mobile team. This is a collective that has continually won the title at the country’s national eSports championships since 2025, and has even won professional PUBG Mobile championships across Southeast Asia.
Although the athletes all belong to the 2006-2007 generation, they have rich competitive experience in national and international competitions. Especially for the athlete Nguyễn Anh Quân, he has already won a gold medal at the new SEA Esports Nations Cup 2026 tournament in the PUBG Mobile team event.
The objective of Vietnamese eSports at ASIAD 20 is very clear. In terms of overall results, we have to do better than the previous Games, because the national team was very excellent participating in 4 bronze medal matches in 4 events, but left many regrets for the fans.
At ASIAD 20, Vietnamese eSports aims to win medals, or even strive for silver medals,” said Mr. Äá»— Việt Hùng, President of Vietnam Electronic Sports and Entertainment Association – VIRESA.
