KeSPA announced on the 16th the 20 candidates across 7 different titles to represent the nation at the upcoming Esports Championships Asia (ECA 2026).

Seven nations are set to clash in this tournament, including South Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia. Korea has fielded a full roster across all events. It is a particularly significant move as the fighting games and eFootball categories serve as a dress rehearsal for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, giving top-tier talent a chance to test their competitive readiness.

ECA 2026 features six official titles: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and The King of Fighters 15 for the fighting game categories, alongside PUBG Mobile, Eternal Return, and the eFootball series (PC/Mobile). Steppin joins as a demonstration event. In the fighting game arena, names like Je-gil Yeon (kt Rolster), Jae-min Bae (DRX), and Gwang-no Lee secured their spots after strong performances in the qualifiers.

For PUBG Mobile, after deliberation by the Performance Enhancement Committee, five players made the cut: Sang-chul Park (Dplus KIA), Su-an Song (Dplus KIA), Hyeon-bin Jeon (NS RedForce), Jun-ha Kim (NS RedForce), and Dong-hyun Kim (NS RedForce). In Eternal Return, a team-based qualifier held from March 6th to 8th saw eight players selected: Hyeong-seok Ha, Jeong-won Gwak, In-gu Choi, and Min-seong Sim from Yangju Wales, along with Chang-hee Choi, Ji-hoon Yoon, Jong-ho Park, and Jun-young Byeon from Daegu Guardians. Meanwhile, Young-woo Song and Do-gyeom Kim topped the PC and Mobile eFootball brackets, respectively, echoing their success in the Asian Games qualifiers.

As for the demonstration title, Steppin, Se-yeon Lee (Seoul Institute of the Arts) and Ha-yul Kim (Choong-am Middle School) emerged as the top performers following a three-day national qualifier starting on the 11th. Notably, Se-yeon Lee now marks two consecutive years of representing Korea at the ECA. The tournament kicks off on the 24th with fighting game qualifiers, finals, and eFootball matches. The opening ceremony follows on the 25th, alongside the first day of Eternal Return and PUBG Mobile. The final day on the 26th wraps up the main events, while the Steppin station remains open for play throughout the venue.

Throughout the event, the Jinju Indoor Gymnasium area will be buzzing with cultural activities hosted by KeSPA, South Gyeongsang Province, and Jinju City, including interactive zones, pop-up stores, and cosplay parades. You can find more details via the event official website.