Shocker! India’s Asian Games eFootball Campaign Crushed After Bizarre 0-0 Forfeit Win Over Mongolia

India’s eFootball campaign at the 2026 Asian Games ended in frustration after Mongolia failed to arrive on time for their group match. The late arrival handed India a 0-0 forfeit win, but it did not help their qualification hopes.

The result gave India the points but not the margin they needed. Danial Patel and Chinmay Sahoo had needed a favourable scoreline to improve their goal difference and keep their knockout hopes alive. Instead, the walkover left India short in the group-stage race.

The bizarre finish carried an immediate cost. India stayed on a goal difference of zero and slipped out of contention, even though they did not lose their final group fixture.

Group Stage Math

The equation was simple. India needed a proper win.

India had opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Uzbekistan. That made the Mongolia match decisive because a clear victory could have lifted Patel and Sahoo above their rivals on goal difference and kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.

That never happened. The forfeit left India on zero goal difference and allowed Uzbekistan to finish above them in the group, indiatvnews.com reported. Uzbekistan had earlier beaten Mongolia 2-0, with the tie made up of a 6-3 win in the mobile game and a 12-0 victory on console.

The wider group picture then shut India out. Thailand and Saudi Arabia took the two available qualification places with goal differences of +3 and +2 respectively.

Protest And Rules

The dispute turned on three minutes.

Patel said Mongolia’s team leader reached the Aichi Sky Expo check-in point three minutes late. India’s players objected to the result and asked officials whether the match could still go ahead.

Officials refused. The competition regulations required a forfeit, asianetnews.com reported, which meant India could not play the fixture and chase the scoreline they needed.

“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 said.

Review Option Declined

A paid review was available.

Officials told the players they could ask a judge panel to review the case for $500. They chose not to pay, saying the cost was not worth it.

Patel took the early exit hard. He arrived at the Asian Games as the reigning eFootball Asian Champion after winning the mobile title at the FIFAe Continental Championship earlier this year.

India’s esports medal hopes now shift elsewhere. The country remains in contention in Pokemon Unite, League of Legends and Puyo Puyo Champions, as indiatvnews.com reported.