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Asian Games 2026 LoL: Why Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia Pulled Out
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Anthony King
Gamer
14 Feb 2026
Posted On
Three countries have withdrawn from the League of Legends event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi, Japan: Japan (the host nation), Thailand, and Indonesia.[1] Japan is sending players for seven other esports titles but skipping LoL entirely. Thailand cited budget alignment, and Indonesia has not fielded a LoL team since 2022.
Key takeaway:
The host nation skipping its own LoL tournament is unprecedented in Asian Games esports history - it signals that LoL’s competitive footprint in parts of Asia is shrinking outside of Korea and China.
Esports at the Asian Games has been growing since its debut in Jakarta 2018, but the League of Legends field at the 2026 Aichi Games is looking thinner than expected. Three countries confirming their withdrawal raises real questions about LoL’s regional competitive health and what this means for the future of esports at multi-sport events.
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Japan: The Host Nation Skips Its Own Tournament
This is the headline. Japan is hosting the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and will send competitors for Pokémon Unite, PUBG Mobile, Identity V, eFootball, Puyo Puyo, Gran Turismo, and various fighting games - but not League of Legends.
The Japan eSports Union (JeSU) hasn’t given a specific reason for skipping LoL, but the context tells a story. Japan’s competitive League of Legends scene has always been smaller than its Korean and Chinese counterparts. The LJL (League of Legends Japan League) has fewer teams (8 vs 16 in most events), lower viewership, and less sponsor investment than other major regions. Sending a competitive LoL team to represent Japan nationally would require investment that JeSU apparently can’t or won’t justify.
The irony is hard to miss: the host country choosing to skip a marquee esport title at its own event. It suggests that Japan sees more value in titles where its competitive scene is stronger - fighting games and mobile esports are far more popular domestically.
Thailand: Budget Constraints Force the Decision
Thailand’s esports federation (TESF) confirmed the withdrawal in early February 2026. The official statement was diplomatic: the decision ensures that "operations are aligned with policy and with a budget appropriate to the National Sports Development Fund."
Translation: there isn’t enough money to field a competitive LoL team. Training, bootcamps, coaching staff, and travel costs add up, especially for a game where the talent pool is concentrated in Korea, China, and to some extent Vietnam and Taiwan. Thailand’s LoL scene exists but doesn’t have the infrastructure to compete at the international level, and the federation decided the investment wasn’t worth the likely outcome.
Indonesia: A Recurring Absence
Indonesia’s withdrawal is less surprising because it’s happened before. Indonesia skipped the LoL event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games as well - which is notable because Indonesia was the host nation when esports debuted at the 2018 Jakarta Games.
LoL has never been as popular in Indonesia as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which dominates the mobile MOBA market in Southeast Asia. Indonesia’s esports infrastructure is heavily tilted toward mobile titles, and fielding a PC-based LoL team for an international event doesn’t align with where their competitive strength lies.
What This Means for LoL’s Position in International Esports
Three withdrawals from one event is a pattern, not a coincidence. League of Legends remains the dominant PC esport in Korea, China, and parts of Europe and North America - but outside those regions, the picture is more complicated.
Regional Gaps and the Mobile Esports Alternative
The Asian Games are supposed to showcase esports as a legitimate competitive discipline alongside traditional sports. When countries start opting out of flagship titles, it raises questions about whether the game (which had 8 participating nations in the previous Asian Games)’s competitive ecosystem is too narrow. Korea and China will still field powerhouse teams, and Vietnam’s VCS has produced internationally competitive players. But the gap between the top regions and everyone else continues to widen.
For comparison, the fighting game and mobile esports titles at the Asian Games tend to have broader participation because the barrier to entry is lower (estimated 60% less infrastructure cost) - both in terms of infrastructure costs and the depth of regional competitive scenes.
If this trend continues, Riot Games may need to rethink how they support LoL competitive development in smaller regions. The VCS model in Vietnam shows that with the right investment and localization, a regional scene can produce internationally relevant talent. But without that investment, regions will continue to opt out of events where they can’t compete. Understanding the LoL ranking system is one thing - building a national competitive infrastructure is another challenge entirely.
Who’s Still In
South Korea, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan are expected to field strong teams. Korea enters as the heavy favorite - they won gold at the 2022 Asian Games with a roster featuring Faker, and the 2024 T1 roster showed that Korean dominance in LoL hasn’t faded. China will come with a stacked lineup as well, likely drawing from LPL rosters.
The remaining field will include teams from smaller regions, but without Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia, the group stage loses some of its unpredictability. The gold medal match will almost certainly be Korea vs China, which is great for viewership but doesn’t exactly showcase esports as a globally competitive discipline.
Confirmed: Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia have all withdrawn from the LoL event at the 2026 Asian Games. Korea, China, Vietnam, and Taiwan remain favorites. What’s unclear is whether Riot will respond with regional development initiatives or whether these withdrawals become the new normal for LoL at multi-sport events. If you’re competing in your own ranked games and want to solo carry while the international scene sorts itself out, focus on fundamentals - they’re the same at every level.
Japan (the host nation), Thailand, and Indonesia confirmed they will not field LoL teams at the 2026 Asian Games. Japan prioritized fighting games, Thailand cited budget constraints, and Indonesia historically focuses on Mobile Legends.
The Japan eSports Union has not given a specific reason, but Japan will send players for seven other esports titles including fighting games and mobile games. Japan's LoL competitive scene (LJL) is smaller than other regions.
South Korea and China are the heavy favorites. Korea won gold at the 2022 Asian Games with Faker on the roster, and both countries have the strongest domestic LoL leagues (LCK and LPL).
No. Japan skipping its own LoL tournament at the 2026 Asian Games is unprecedented. When Indonesia hosted in 2018 they participated, though they skipped the event in 2022.
Thailand's esports federation (TESF) cited the need to align operations with budget constraints from the National Sports Development Fund. The country's LoL scene lacks infrastructure to compete against Korea and China at the international level.
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