Asian Games: India’s eFootball Medal Hopes End After Forfeit
India’s Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo were eliminated from the Asian Games eFootball event after Mongolia missed check-in and a 0-0 forfeit failed to improve India’s goal difference.
India’s eFootball campaign at the 2026 Asian Games ended without Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo playing their final Group F match. Mongolia missed the stipulated check-in deadline, resulting in a 0-0 forfeit win for India. However, the scoreline left the Indian duo without the goal difference needed to reach the knockout stage.
India had earlier drawn 0-0 against Uzbekistan, making the final group match crucial. Uzbekistan had beaten Mongolia 2-0, giving them a significant advantage in goal difference. India and Uzbekistan both finished with four points, but the Indian team could not progress through the standings or the best second-placed route.
Patel and Sahoo reportedly asked organisers to allow the match to be played instead of awarding a forfeit, but officials maintained that the competition rules required the walkover. India was also offered the option of a formal review, but the team chose not to pursue it because of the US$500 fee.
The result was particularly disappointing for Patel, who entered the Asian Games as the reigning Asian eFootball Mobile champion after winning the FIFAe Continental Championship earlier this year. A medal in Aichi-Nagoya would have given India its first official Asian Games eSports medal.
The incident came shortly after another Indian medal campaign was decided through a competition rule, when Suchika Tariyal’s traditional MMA semifinal was settled using the weight criterion.
For Patel and Sahoo, however, the eFootball campaign ended before they could settle their fate on the virtual pitch.
