ESFI Begins NESC 2026 Registrations for Asian Games Team Selection

The Esports Federation of India (ESFI) has opened registrations for the National Esports Championships (NESC) 2026. The tournament will serve as the official qualifier to select India’s esports squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Registrations are open from Feb 21 to Mar 7, 2026, as confirmed in an ESFI press release. 

The Asian Games will be held from Sep 19 to Oct 4, 2026.

The 2026 Asian Games esports program includes 13 titles, and India will compete in 10 of them. NESC 2026 will determine India’s representatives for those 10 titles. Esports will feature as a full medal event for the second time, following its inclusion at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

National Esports Championships 2026 to Shape India’s Asian Games Squad

The qualification tournament will include:

• Pokémon Unite
• Street Fighter 6
• League of Legends
• Tekken 8
• The King of Fighters XV (combined as one team event)
• eFootball
• PUBG Mobile (Asian Games Version)
• Puyo Puyo
• Naraka: Bladepoint
• Gran Turismo

Through participation in eight medal events, India will have up to 24 medal opportunities at the continental competition.

ESFI President, Vinod Kumar Tiwari, said the championship marks “a defining step in India's journey towards the Asian Games.” He added that the federation’s focus is on identifying the country’s best talent through a “fair, competitive, and transparent platform.”

Regarding PUBG (Asian Games Version), ESFI confirmed that it will conduct the selection and evaluation process through BGMI. The federation stated the edition featured at the Asian Games differs from the version currently restricted in India. 

However, final participation will remain subject to approval by the concerned competent authority. ESFI may introduce additional titles if further esports disciplines are officially added.

The 30-day national selection process will be followed by Asian regional qualifiers scheduled for May - July 2026. The final squad announcement will complete India’s pathway to Aichi-Nagoya, where the country will compete for its first Asian Games medal in esports.