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It’s a big step forward for esports in Southeast Asia but there’s still more work to be done.
The SEA Esports Nations Cup 2026 concluded recently and as a multi-game, country-based esports tournament, there were a lot of expectations for the event. Held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this is the first esports series hosted by the Southeast Asia Esports Federation (SEAEF) and will determine the readiness of the different countries for the eventual Esports Nation Cup happening later this year.
Featuring six events with 11 participating countries, the SEA Esports Nations Cup covered games that have a smaller share of the limelight in the region: PUBG Mobile, CrossFire, TeamFight Tactics, and Total Football.
For the Philippines, we had a rather lukewarm showing. We fell at 7th for the PUBG Duo event but garnered bronze medals for PUBG Solo and CrossFire.
On the whole, the event highlights the growing interest in esports within the SEA region. Most of the participating countries were able to send a sizable amount of athletes to play in each game. Vietnam participated in the most events but Indonesia proved to be a powerhouse, winning gold in PUBG Solo, CrossFire, and TeamFight Tactics Mens.
It just goes to show just how broad the world of esports can be. It’s also a reminder that while the Philippines are the MLBB kings, we have room to grow in other titles. We only participated in three of the six events so hopefully we can increase that number for next year.
At the same time, it also highlights the difficulties of the region in mounting these events. Technical difficulties plagued the SEA Nations Cup, to the point that PUBG Solo had to be delayed an entire day. Infrastructure is still the biggest challenge of esports and if the SEAEF wants to mount more events like this, they need to properly address these technical hurdles.
The SEA Esports Nations Cup 2026 was a good start for bringing up the competition all over Southeast Asia, but it needs to level up if it wants to carry the same weight as a major event.
Banner image from SEAEF – Southeast Asia Esports Federation on Facebook.