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The Philippines isn’t just competing in MLBB for esports at the Asian Games.
The 2026 Asian Games Qualifiers of MLBB is fully underway but while everyone’s excited to see the SIBOL National Team, their excellence is not just limited to the Land of Dawn.
There are 11 categories for esports in the 2026 Asian Games and the Philippines is competing in seven of them. Some of them have already concluded their own qualifiers so let’s see how SIBOL’s other campaigns are going.
First off, we have representatives for Puyo Puyo Champions and Pokemon Unite all ready to go for the Asian Games. Then we had the qualifiers for Identity V, an asymmetrical multiplayer survival horror game, take place on May 30-June 2 in Singapore. It was a good start for the Philippines as they swept Mongolia on day one. However, it was two tough losses against Malaysia and South Korea afterwards but SIBOL was able to get another sweep against Kyrgyzstan on day three. This was enough to earn them a spot to Japan for the Asian Games.
Afterwards were the qualifiers for Naraka: Bladepoint, a wushu and kungfu inspired battle royale game. It also took place in Singapore on June 4-5, and our team was coming in hot. It was sweep after sweep against Laos, Tajikistan, and Singapore. But we ran into a wall against China and suffered a 0-2 loss. Thankfully, that still placed us second in our group which allowed us to qualify for the 2026 Asian Games.
Then we have the Honor of Kings qualifier which is taking place on June 13-21. As one of the MOBAs that the Philippines excels in, it was practically expected that SIBOL would move through. With 2-0 sweeps against Pakistan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan the Philippine representatives have already secured their place on the Asian Games mainstage even though there are still days left in the tournament.
That leaves us with the MLBB qualifiers happening right now in Singapore from June 18-21. Then we have the qualifiers for PUBG Mobile taking place in Vietnam this June 19-21.
In short, things are going pretty well for the esports side of the Philippines’ 2026 Asian Games campaign. Hopefully they can keep this momentum going once the qualified teams make it to Japan.
Images from SIBOL on Facebook.
Frequently Asked Questions
SIBOL is competing in seven of the 11 esports categories: MLBB, Identity V, Naraka: Bladepoint, Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile, Puyo Puyo Champions, and Pokemon Unite.
Yes. SIBOL’s Identity V team qualified after the Singapore qualifiers (May 30–June 2), posting wins against Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan despite losses to Malaysia and South Korea.
SIBOL swept Laos, Tajikistan, and Singapore before falling 0-2 to China. A second-place group finish was still enough to qualify for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
Yes. SIBOL swept Pakistan, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan 2-0 in each match, securing their Asian Games spot with days still remaining in the qualifier.
The 2026 Asian Games esports events will be held in Japan, with SIBOL teams from multiple titles already confirmed for the main competition.