Southeast Asia's Strong Presence at the 2026 Asian Games

Southeast Asia will have a significant presence at the 2026 Asian Games, with athletes from 11 countries competing across a wide range of sports.

Thailand leads the region in both athlete numbers and the breadth of its participation, while the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam will also field large delegations.

Thailand is set to send the largest Southeast Asian delegation, with 694 athletes competing in 51 sports. Its participation represents the region’s most extensive presence across the competition programme.

The Philippines follows with 452 athletes competing in 39 sports, while Indonesia will have 436 athletes competing in 39 sports. The two countries will therefore have similarly sized delegations and an equally broad sporting presence.

Malaysia is represented by 353 athletes competing in 33 sports, while Vietnam will send 348 athletes across 29 sports. Singapore rounds out the larger Southeast Asian delegations, with 304 athletes competing in 27 sports.

The smaller Southeast Asian nations will also contribute athletes to the continental competition. Laos is set to participate with 68 athletes in 15 sports, followed by Cambodia with 60 athletes in 14 sports. Myanmar will have 59 athletes competing in five sports, with its delegation concentrated in a smaller number of disciplines.

Timor-Leste and Brunei will have the smallest delegations among the Southeast Asian countries listed. Timor-Leste will send 13 athletes competing in seven sports, while Brunei will have six athletes competing in two sports.

The size of each delegation varies considerably, reflecting differences in the number of sports entered and the scale of each country's overall participation.

While Thailand has the largest delegation, countries such as Timor-Leste and Brunei will compete with much smaller teams while still maintaining a presence at the continental event.

With thousands of Southeast Asian athletes expected to compete, the 2026 Asian Games will provide a major platform for athletes from across the region to represent their countries and compete alongside competitors from throughout Asia.

The broad participation of Southeast Asian nations demonstrates the region's continuing involvement in one of the continent's largest multi-sport events.