Asian Games 2026: Complete Schedule, Medal Tally, Cricket, Kabaddi and Full Sports List
The 20th Asian Games are underway in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026.
Officially the XX Asian Games and branded Aichi-Nagoya 2026, this is the third time Japan has hosted the event, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. The Games bring together 46 National Olympic Committees, more than 10,700 athletes, and 469 medal events across 43 sports and 71 disciplines, making it the largest multi-sport event in Asia. The official motto is "Imagine One Asia," and the Opening Ceremony was led by Emperor Naruhito, with Paloma Mizuho Stadium serving as the main venue.
One unusual detail this edition: instead of a single permanent Athletes' Village, competitors are being housed across a cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier, temporary villas built from repurposed shipping containers near the Port of Nagoya, and hotels spread across the prefecture. Organisers had contingency plans ready in case of typhoons or tsunamis, and those plans were tested early. Record-breaking rain caused flash flooding in Nagoya on 8 September, just two days before the Games opened, though the Opening Ceremony went ahead as scheduled.
When Is the Asian Games 2026?
The Games officially run from 19 September to 4 October 2026, spanning 16 days of competition. A number of early events, including teqball and some cricket fixtures, began on 17 September, and select preliminary rounds in other sports got underway even earlier. The Closing Ceremony is scheduled for 4 October.
Asian Games 2026 Schedule: Key Dates
| Date | What's Happening |
|---|---|
| 10 September | Early competition begins in select sports |
| 17 September | Teqball and women's cricket begin |
| 19 September | Opening Ceremony |
| 20 to 29 September | Bulk of team and individual sport finals |
| 21 to 26 September | Kabaddi competition |
| 23 to 29 September | Athletics |
| 24 September to 3 October | Men's cricket tournament |
| 28 September to 3 October | Padel (debut sport) |
| 2 to 3 October | Rhythmic gymnastics finals |
| 4 October | Closing Ceremony |
This is a live schedule, so exact match and session times for team sports like cricket , kabaddi and football can shift slightly as brackets are confirmed.
Asian Games 2026 Sports List
The 43-sport programme mixes Olympic staples with sports that are especially popular across Asia. The full lineup includes:
- Athletics, swimming, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline gymnastics
- Football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, table tennis
- Cycling, wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, archery, shooting, fencing, judo, taekwondo
- Cricket, kabaddi, wushu, sepak takraw, kurash, jujitsu, sport climbing, karate
- Dancesport, roller sports, surfing, esports, sailing, canoeing, rowing, triathlon, equestrian
Cricket and kabaddi sit among the most-searched sports at this edition, largely due to their popularity across South Asia, and both have their own dedicated schedules below.
New Sports Making Their Asian Games Debut
- Padel, played from 28 September to 3 October at Higashi Sports Center
- Mixed martial arts, played from 20 to 22 September at Inae Sports Center
- Teqball, played from 17 to 20 September at Higashi Sports Center, with 55 competitors from 15 nations
India already has a medal in one of these new disciplines. Shooter-turned-MMA competitor Suchika Tariyal won bronze, giving India its first-ever Asian Games medal in mixed martial arts.
Asian Games Cricket 2026 Schedule
Cricket is playing its fourth Asian Games in a row, and it is one of the highest-interest events on the programme given the sport's following across South Asia. Matches are being played in T20 format at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, a newly built cricket venue in Aichi Prefecture.
Women's tournament: 17 to 22 September, 8 nations. The group and knockout stages led into semi-finals on 20 September, with the bronze and gold medal matches on 22 September. India's women's team won gold, beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the final. Smriti Mandhana top-scored with 79 as India posted 216, and Deepti Sharma took 3 for 6 to help bowl out Sri Lanka.
Men's tournament: 24 September to 3 October, 10 nations. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka entered directly at the quarter-final stage as seeded teams, while Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman played a group stage from 24 to 26 September to fill the remaining knockout spots. Semi-finals are on 1 October, with the bronze and gold medal matches on 3 October.
India entered both tournaments as defending champions after winning gold in both categories at Hangzhou 2022, and the women's team has already retained its title. Because of the tournament draw, India and Pakistan cannot meet in the men's competition before a potential medal match.
Asian Games Kabaddi 2026 Schedule
Kabaddi is making its ninth consecutive appearance at the Asian Games, a run stretching back to 1990 (the women's event joined in 2010). All matches are being held at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, from 21 to 26 September.
Ten men's teams and eight women's teams are split into two groups each, playing a round-robin group stage from 21 to 24 September. The format has no separate bronze medal match, so both beaten semi-finalists receive bronze automatically.
- Semi-finals: 25 September
- Gold medal matches, men's and women's: 26 September
India enters both divisions as defending champion after winning gold at Hangzhou 2022, with expectations running high given the domestic popularity of the Pro Kabaddi League. Iran shares India's women's group, while Chinese Taipei, who pushed India to the final raid in 2022, is again seen as a genuine threat on the women's side. Bangladesh and South Korea, both past kabaddi medallists, sit in India's men's group.
Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally: Current Standings
Because the Games are ongoing, the medal table is updated daily as more finals are completed. Based on the latest available figures, following India's cricket gold, the standings look like this:
| Rank | Country | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 28 | 12 | 7 | 47 |
| 2 | Japan | 9 | 13 | 14 | 36 |
| 3 | Kazakhstan | 6 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| 4 | South Korea | 5 | 4 | 15 | 24 |
| 5 | Thailand | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | Hong Kong, China | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 7 | Tajikistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | India | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 9 | Uzbekistan | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 10 | Chinese Taipei | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
This reflects a live, ongoing tally rather than final standings. Expect significant movement once athletics, badminton, wrestling and the men's cricket and kabaddi finals are complete.
India's Medal Winners So Far
India's early campaign has been powered largely by shooting, which has produced five of the country's first seven medals:
- Indian women's cricket team, gold, beating Sri Lanka in the final
- Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod, silver, women's 10m air rifle team
- Elavenil Valarivan, silver, women's 10m air rifle individual
- Rudrankksh Patil, Himanshu Dhillon and Parth Rakesh Mane, silver, men's 10m air rifle team
- Himanshu Dhillon, silver, men's 10m air rifle individual
- Suchika Tariyal, bronze, mixed martial arts
India is aiming to better its best-ever haul of 106 medals from a single Games and is targeting a top-four finish this edition. The country's cricket and kabaddi campaigns, both entering as defending champions, are expected to add significantly to that total before the Closing Ceremony.
What's Still to Come: Upcoming Events at Asian Games 2026
With the Games roughly a third of the way through as of this update, several marquee events are still ahead:
- Athletics (23 to 29 September): 50 medal events across track and field, road running and racewalking, one of the biggest single blocks of medals at the Games
- Badminton (20 to 29 September): finals stretching through the back half of the competition window
- Men's cricket (24 September to 3 October): group stage, quarter-finals, semi-finals on 1 October, and the gold medal match on 3 October
- Kabaddi finals (25 to 26 September): both semi-finals and both gold medal matches
- Padel (28 September to 3 October): the sport's Asian Games debut, running almost to the Closing Ceremony
- Rhythmic gymnastics (2 to 3 October): among the last individual finals before the Games close
- Closing Ceremony (4 October): official conclusion of Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Expect the medal table to shift considerably once athletics wraps up in late September, since it is traditionally one of the largest medal-producing sports at any Asian Games.
Where the Games Are Being Held
Competition venues are spread across Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, with a couple of notable exceptions: swimming and equestrian events are being held in Tokyo rather than Aichi. Key venues include:
- Paloma Mizuho Stadium, main venue, athletics
- Kōrogi Sports Park, Nisshin, cricket
- Tokai Citizens Gymnasium, kabaddi
- Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, badminton
- Kasugai City Gymnasium, artistic gymnastics
- Aichi Budokan, wushu and kurash
- Higashi Sports Center, padel and teqball
- Inae Sports Center, mixed martial arts
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Asian Games 2026?
The Games run from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, though some events, including teqball and women's cricket, began on 17 September.
Where is the Asian Games 2026 being held?
Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, Japan, the third time Japan has hosted the Asian Games, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Swimming and equestrian events are the exception, held in Tokyo.
How many sports are at the Asian Games 2026?
43 sports across 71 disciplines, producing 469 medal events, including three sports making their Asian Games debut: padel, mixed martial arts, and teqball.
Is cricket part of the Asian Games 2026?
Yes. Cricket is being played in T20 format at Kōrogi Sports Park. The women's tournament ran from 17 to 22 September and was won by India. The men's tournament runs from 24 September to 3 October. It is cricket's fourth appearance at the Asian Games.
When is kabaddi at the Asian Games 2026?
Kabaddi runs from 21 to 26 September at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium, with semi-finals on 25 September and both gold medal matches on 26 September.
Who is leading the Asian Games 2026 medal tally?
China leads the standings by a wide margin, followed by hosts Japan and then Kazakhstan. India currently sits eighth after winning a gold, four silvers and two bronzes, with shooting and cricket accounting for most of its medals so far.
Where does India rank at the Asian Games 2026?
As of the current update, India sits eighth in the overall medal table with seven medals: one gold from the women's cricket team, four silvers from shooting, and two bronzes. India is targeting a top-four finish and aims to beat its best-ever tally of 106 medals from a single edition.
What is the Asian Games 2026 motto?
"Imagine One Asia."
With cricket, kabaddi and three brand-new sports on the programme alongside the usual Olympic disciplines, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is shaping up to be one of the fullest Asian Games schedules yet. China holds a commanding lead in the medal table, Japan is capitalising on home advantage, and India has already banked a cricket gold with shooting carrying much of its early campaign. With athletics, men's cricket, kabaddi finals and padel's Asian Games debut all still to come, the standings are likely to shift considerably before the Closing Ceremony on 4 October.
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