Asiad: Sibol ousts South Korea, advances to Honor of Kings semifinals for sure bronze

Sibol Honor of Kings at the 20th Asian Games. PESO

Sibol, the Philippine esports contingent, pulled off a statement win over South Korea on Sunday, punching its ticket to the Honor of Kings semis at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

The Philippine squad secured its place in the Final Four after breezing past South Korea, 2-0, continuing its campaign for an assured esports medal in the continental showpiece.

The result puts the Philippines two wins away from claiming its Asian Games gold medal, with the remaining matches to be played in the single-elimination knockout stage.

Sibol will  face powerhouse China on Monday at the Aichi Sky Expo.

READ: Asiad: Sibol cops bronze in Pokémon Unite

Sibol entered the knockout stage after splitting two Group B matches. They opened their group stage campaign after a sweep, 2-0, against Kazakhstan before falling to Malaysia, 1-2.

But despite their loss, the Philippines advanced to the knockout stage.

The Honor of Kings group stage used a single round-robin format, with each match played as best-of-three series and the top two teams advancing to the next stage.