Pakistan add esports bronze to Asian Games medal haul

TOKONAME: Pakistan’s five-member PUBG Mobile squad of Mohammad Huzaifa, Shayan Asad, Falak Sher, Hasnain Rehman and Syed Sameer claimed the bronze medal in the esports event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi on Tuesday.

The national team finished third in the 12-match competition, spanning two days, with 100 points, while Thailand bagged the gold medal with 128 points, followed by China, who claimed silver, with 114.

Pakistan, who managed to accumulate just 39 points on the opening day, made a resounding comeback on the second day, which saw them add 61 points to their tally in the remaining six matches.

Their best performance on the second day came in the seventh match, from which they secured 16 points, followed by 12 each in the last two, while 10 each came in the eighth and ninth games.

Thailand were eventually rewarded for their consistency throughout the competition as they finished 14 points ahead of second-placed China, who ultimately survived Pakistan's late outburst to bag the silver.

Vietnam and Indonesia, 95 points each, finished fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by South Korea (71) at sixth, while Chinese Taipei (62) secured seventh position.

The bronze in the esports competition marked Pakistan's fifth laurel overall in the Asian Games 2026 as the country also won the same honour in MMA, squash and women's cricket.

National fighter Asim Khan brought the laurel in modern MMA, while Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan claimed one apiece in the men's singles squash.

The national women's cricket team won the bronze medal last Tuesday by securing a 31-run victory over Bangladesh in the third-place playoff at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.