Introduction: The S16 season has officially started, and most players have been paying close attention to the recent clashes, which have been very fierce across all major regions. This year, the spotlight is on the Asian Games competition since it represents esports moving closer to traditional sports. League of Legends has a huge fan base with high annual engagement, but it seems this Asian Games might be its last appearance. Following Japan and Thailand, Indonesia has become the third country to confirm it will not participate in the League of Legends event. It looks like the competition will mainly be between Vietnam, China, and South Korea. Fortunately, we have two teams competing.

Three countries have announced their withdrawal from the LOL Asian Games.

Most players are quite familiar with League of Legends. As an esports title, it has grown remarkably in just over a decade. The organizers have been gradually pushing esports to align with traditional sports, and the Asian Games was a starting point. Since the 2018 Asian Games, esports events have slowly been integrated into traditional competitions. Initially, it was an exhibition event, but by the Hangzhou Asian Games, it became an official competition. The upcoming Japan Asian Games will continue this setup.

Many fans are discussing how the League of Legends teams will perform this time. Judging by the current form, our players might not be outstanding. The top lane will most likely be bin, though it could also be Santara, as both are top Chinese players—one currently at the peak and the other a veteran core player. For jungle, it might be xun or Jiejie; other players have little chance of competing. The mid lane is probably the most certain spot, with knight expected to firmly hold the starting position. Even if BLG doesn’t win the championship, he is unlikely to be dropped.

The AD carry position is very likely to be gala, since elk’s performance in the last competition was somewhat weak, indicating he may struggle under pressure in top-tier events. There are limited choices for support; Meiko is resting, Ming and Liu Qingsong have left the scene, so ON is probably the pick. While everyone was debating fiercely, more bad news emerged: Indonesia confirmed its absence from the 2026 Asian Games League of Legends event, becoming the third country after Japan and Thailand to withdraw. However, they will participate in other esports events. There are 11 esports disciplines in total this time, and League of Legends has seen the most withdrawals.

It seems the Asian Games competition has narrowed down to a battle among China, Vietnam, and South Korea, as only these three countries can field some decent domestic players. Many other countries' teams rely heavily on Korean imports in their leagues. Especially the Japanese region, whose teams have even merged leagues. The only memorable highlight was the world championship performance of "Liang Tian Chi." Many fans are discussing that this might be the final appearance for League of Legends at the Asian Games. Could this be the last esports event? After all, the gap between esports and traditional sports is still quite large.

Farewell thoughts

Who would have thought that a game as popular as League of Legends would see three countries already announcing their withdrawal? With everyone focusing on mobile esports, the League of Legends event probably had the least suspense. Only China's two teams might have a chance to compete against Korea, but their odds aren't very high. So it’s understandable that other countries chose to bow out to avoid embarrassment in the competition.

What do you all think about this situation?