Yuga Chatani, a second-year student in the School of Geosciences and Civil Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University, won a bronze medal after competing as a member of the Japanese national team in the esports competition at the 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games), which began on September 19.
The esports title in which Chatani competed, eFootball™ (*), is a competition based on the soccer video game of the same name. Teams consist of two players: one player in the console division (using game consoles or PCs) and one player in the mobile division (using gaming smartphones and similar devices), in which Chatani competed. Victory is determined by the combined scores of both players. The game is a renewed and rebranded version of the highly popular soccer game Winning Eleven, which attracted not only soccer fans but also a wide range of players. In addition to gaming skills, success depends on tactical decision-making and extensive soccer knowledge similar to that required in actual soccer matches.
As a young soccer enthusiast, Chatani spent many of his after-school hours playing soccer and Winning Eleven with friends from his early elementary school years. Through these experiences, he steadily refined his gaming skills and quickly distinguished himself from his peers. He first became conscious of esports as a competitive endeavor after learning about the National Prefectural Esports Championship in 2025, which was held in conjunction with the National Sports Festival (formerly the National Sports Festival of Japan). Although he did not achieve a top finish in the tournament while representing Ishikawa Prefecture, his emerging talent attracted the attention of a team based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
After joining the team, Chatani balanced his university studies with esports training, practicing for approximately three hours a day whenever possible. This year, he advanced through the domestic qualifying tournaments and became a candidate for Japan's national team at the Asian Games. In April, he competed in the Asian Esports Championship 2026 (ECA2026), an international friendly tournament and preparatory event for the Asian Games that was held in the Republic of Korea. There, he achieved a third-place finish among competitors from eight Asian countries.
Chatani's next challenge following his remarkable success on the international stage will be competing in the qualifying tournament for the National Prefectural Esports Championship, scheduled to be held in December, and earning a place in the championship itself. Expectations are high that he will secure a spot on the Ishikawa Prefectural team and perform strongly against Japan's top competitors.
(*) eFootball™ is a trademark of KONAMI.
-
Chatani smiling for a photo with his bronze medal -
The event mascot “Honohon,” presented together with the medal at the award ceremony
PAGE TOP