Sibol Pokémon UNITE Settles for Bronze After Semifinal Loss to Indonesia

Sibol Pokémon UNITE saw its gold-medal hopes end after Indonesia rallied from behind to sweep the Philippines, 2-0, in the semifinals of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Sunday at Aichi Sky Expo.

The semifinal defeat left Sibol with a bronze medal, giving the Philippines its first-ever Asian Games medal in Pokémon UNITE.

Despite missing out on a spot in the gold-medal match, head coach Albert Camp remained pleased with his players and what they accomplished in Japan.

“Still, sobrang happy. I’m still in awe kasi first time and sobrang happy ako sa boys ko kasi nga lifetime na nilang dadalhin ‘to. Na nagdala sila ng medalya para sa bansang Pilipinas,” said Camp.

The Philippines looked in control early in Game 1, with Robert Mempin leading the charge on Cinderace as Sibol built a sizeable advantage.

However, Indonesia turned the game around after securing Kyogre in the closing minutes. The objective gave Indonesia the boost it needed to erase the Philippines’ lead and complete the comeback.

Indonesia eventually took the opener, 312-277, despite Sibol maintaining a significant advantage through much of the game.

Camp attributed the loss to the narrow margin that separated the two teams in the late stages.

“Actually nung Game 1, sobrang swerte nung kalaban. If you will notice, sobrang low health nung mga kalaban. It’s just that kinapos tayo,” Camp said.

Sibol struggled to regain its momentum in Game 2 as Indonesia established an early lead and kept control of the match.

The Philippines was unable to mount another comeback, with Indonesia closing out the semifinal series with an 887-204 victory.

The bronze medal marks a historic finish for Sibol Pokémon UNITE, which gave the Philippines its first medal in the title at the Asian Games.