India's eFootball hopes end after 0-0 forfeit at Asian Games leaves goal difference short

India's Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo were eliminated from the eFootball event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday after failing to take the field for their final Group F fixture when Mongolia missed the check-in deadline, resulting in a 0-0 forfeit win that left India short on goal difference.

Mongolia's team leader arrived three minutes after the designated check-in time, and organisers awarded the match to India as a forfeit, according to a report by The Bridge. Patel and Sahoo had drawn 0-0 with Uzbekistan earlier in the group, making the final fixture crucial for progression to the knockout stage. India received the points from the forfeit but the 0-0 scoreline produced no change to their goal difference. That static goal difference proved decisive for the group outcome.

Earlier in Group F, Uzbekistan beat Mongolia 2-0, with the mobile and console matches ending 6-3 and 12-0 respectively, a set of results that gave Uzbekistan a sizeable advantage in the standings. India finished level on four points with Uzbekistan but trailed on goal difference. The group arithmetic therefore prevented Patel and Sahoo from overtaking Uzbekistan despite the shared points total.

India were also eliminated from contention for qualification as one of the best second-placed teams. Thailand and Saudi Arabia advanced through those berths after finishing with goal differences of +3 and +2 respectively. With those margins in place, India did not progress.

The early exit was described in the report as a major disappointment for Patel in particular; he entered the Asian Games as the reigning Asian eFootball Mobile champion after winning the title at the FIFAe Continental Championship earlier this year. A medal in Aichi-Nagoya would have given India its first official Asian Games eSports medal.

Patel and Sahoo did not accept the forfeit without protest. “We protested and said that we want to play the games instead of a forfeit win, but they [officials] said a forfeit win is what the rules say,” Sahoo told The Bridge. India was offered the option of a formal review but declined because it required a fee of 500 US dollars (around Rs 47,800). Patel added: “Unless they gave us a 3-0, 3-0 walkover with a +6 goal difference, we were not qualifying.”

The eFootball controversy followed another Indian medal decision that was resolved by competition regulations: Suchika Tariyal's women's 60kg traditional MMA semifinal against Singapore's Hui Hoon Teo was declared a draw and subsequently settled using the weight criterion after Teo was found 700 grams lighter at the morning weigh-in. India paid 1,000 US dollars (around Rs 95,700) to challenge that original decision, but the outcome remained unchanged and Suchika took bronze.

India's broader eSports campaign in Aichi-Nagoya remains active, with teams in Pokemon Unite, League of Legends and Puyo Puyo Champions still in contention, while Patel and Sahoo's eFootball campaign ended without the opportunity to determine their fate on the field.