Source: Korea e-Sports Association

On April 16, the Korea e-Sports Association announced the 20 candidates selected to represent South Korea at the '2026 Esports Championship Asia (ECA2026),' which will be held in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do, from the 24th to the 26th.

ECA2026 will feature participants from seven countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia. The competition includes seven titles: three fighting games (Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and The King of Fighters XV), PUBG Mobile, Eternal Return, the eFootball series (PC/mobile), and the demonstration event Steppin. South Korea will field athletes in all categories.

The roster for the fighting game titles was determined based on the results of the Asian Games national team selection trials. The selected athletes include 'DakCorgi' Yeon Je-gil (kt Rolster) for Street Fighter 6, a former 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games national team member; 'Knee' Bae Jae-min (KDF) for Tekken 8; and 'MadkoF' Lee Gwang-no for The King of Fighters XV.

For PUBG Mobile, five players were selected based on their performance over the past two years and the results of an open evaluation held in March. The roster includes 'FAVIAN' Park Sang-cheol and 'NolBu' Song Su-an (both from Dplus KIA), as well as 'HYUNBIN' Jeon Hyun-bin, 'XZY' Kim Jun-ha, and 'TIZ1' Kim Dong-hyun (all from Nongshim RedForce).

For Eternal Return, team-based selection trials were held from March 6 to 8, with eight players chosen from the top two teams. The candidates include 'fana' Ha Hyeong-seok, 'gwork' Kwak Jeong-won, 'stormchaser' Choi In-gu, and 'BoBmalsa' Sim Min-seong from Yangju Whales, along with 'JJangE' Choi Chang-hee, 'Soeh' Yoon Ji-hoon, 'Curry' Park Jong-ho, and 'Saten' Byeon Jun-yeong from Daegu Guardians.

In the eFootball series, 'Ssong' Song Young-woo was selected for the PC division, and 'DK-DK' Kim Do-gyeom for the mobile division, both as top finishers in the selection trials. For the demonstration event Steppin, Lee Se-yeon (Seoul Institute of the Arts) and Kim Ha-yul (Choongam Middle School) were chosen following a three-day selection process that began on the 11th. Lee Se-yeon has now qualified as a South Korean representative for two consecutive years.

The tournament kicks off on the 24th with the fighting game preliminaries and finals, alongside the eFootball series matches. The opening ceremony will take place on the 25th, followed by the first day of Eternal Return and PUBG Mobile matches, with the event concluding on the 26th after the second day of competition for all titles. Steppin will be available throughout the event in a dedicated area at the venue. Ancillary events, including experience zones, pop-up stores, and a cosplay parade, will also be held around the Jinju Indoor Gymnasium. Further details are available on the official website.