The South Korean League of Legends (LoL) team, aiming for a second consecutive gold medal at the Asian Games, is set to compete for victory.
Led by coach Kang Dong-hoon, the South Korean team will face Taiwan in their first match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games esports LoL group stage on September 30 at 9 a.m. at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan.
In the opening match against Taiwan, Hanwha Life Esports' 'Zeka' will take the lead, going up against Taiwan's representative, JD Gaming's 'Hungyu' Chaiminghong, in the laning phase.
Following the match against Taiwan, the team will play India at 11:30 a.m. and Hong Kong at 2 p.m., completing three group stage matches in one day. South Korea, Taiwan, India, and Hong Kong are grouped in B, while Vietnam, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are in group A.
Taiwan is considered the most formidable opponent in the group stage. The two teams faced off in the finals of the previous tournament, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, where South Korea defeated Taiwan 2-0 to claim the gold medal. South Korea achieved a perfect victory in Hangzhou, not losing a single set.
The group stage will follow a single round-robin format, with each of the four teams playing one match against each other. All matches will be single-elimination. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on October 1.
From the semifinals onward, matches will be best-of series. The semifinals will be played as a best-of-three, while the finals will take place on November 2 at noon as a best-of-five. The tournament will also implement a 'fearless draft' rule, preventing teams from selecting champions they have already used in a series.
South Korea has assembled a team of world-class players, including top laner 'Zeus' Choi Woo-jae (Hanwha Life Esports), jungler 'Canyon' Kim Geon-bu (Gen.G Esports), mid laner 'Faker' Lee Sang-hyeok (T1), 'Zeka' Kim Geon-woo (Hanwha Life Esports), AD carry 'Gumayusi' Lee Min-hyung (Hanwha Life Esports), and support 'Keria' Ryu Min-seok (T1).
Lee Sang-hyeok, Choi Woo-jae, and Ryu Min-seok are seeking their second consecutive gold medal after competing in the Hangzhou Games. Notably, Lee Sang-hyeok has participated in three consecutive Asian Games since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang event, where LoL was a demonstration sport.
The team has also completed practical assessments ahead of the tournament. In a national team evaluation match held in Busan on September 19-20, they defeated the United States 3-0 and Vietnam 3-1. 'Zeka' played as the starting mid laner against the U.S., while 'Faker' took the role against Vietnam, allowing both players to be tested.
The draw is favorable for South Korea. Their rival China, who won the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and faced South Korea in the semifinals in Hangzhou, is not competing in this LoL event. The host nation, Japan, also did not field a LoL team. As a result, South Korea is regarded as the strongest contender for the gold medal in this tournament.
Entering the tournament as the reigning champion, South Korea begins its quest for a second consecutive Asian Games LoL title with the match against Taiwan.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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