The 20th Asian Games runs September 19 to October 4, 2026, in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, bringing together roughly 15,000 athletes and officials from across the continent. Cricket is back on the programme and basketball remains one of the headline team sports, which means Asian Games 2026 is already shaping up as one of the more closely watched editions in years.
Summary: What’s Happening and When
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will host 41 sports across 45 National Olympic Committees, making it the second-largest multi-sport event in the world after the Summer Olympics. The opening ceremony takes place on September 19 at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, with competition running through to the closing ceremony on October 4.
Background: Japan’s Third Time Hosting
This marks the third time Japan has hosted the Asian Games, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. The Olympic Council of Asia awarded the Games to Aichi-Nagoya years in advance, giving organisers time to build out venues across Nagoya city, the wider Aichi Prefecture, and even Tokyo, which will host swimming, diving, and equestrian events.
Rather than building a dedicated athletes’ village from scratch, organisers opted for a cost-saving approach: a cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier will house around 4,600 athletes and officials, while another 2,400 will stay in temporary container housing nearby. It’s an unusual setup for a Games of this scale, and one that’s drawn some attention on its own.
Asian Games 2026 Sports List and Participating Countries
The sports program spans 41 disciplines and 66 events in total, with mixed martial arts making its Asian Games debut as part of the combat sports category alongside kurash and jujitsu. Basketball remains one of the marquee team sports on the schedule, drawing strong regional interest as always, alongside athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and badminton.
Cricket returns for its fourth appearance at the Asian Games, having previously featured at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, and Hangzhou 2022 (delayed to 2023). The sport had been left off the provisional programme early on due to the absence of a cricket venue in Nagoya itself, but organisers later confirmed its inclusion with matches shifted to a purpose-suited venue in Aichi Prefecture.
In total, 45 nations and regions under the Olympic Council of Asia umbrella are expected to send athletes, covering everything from established powerhouses like China, Japan, and India to smaller delegations competing in just one or two disciplines.
Asian Games 2026 Cricket: Teams, Dates and India’s Squad
Cricket at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be played in the T20 format, with matches held between September 17 and October 3 at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture. The women’s tournament runs first, from September 17 to 22, followed by the men’s event from September 24 to October 3.
Ten teams will compete in the men’s tournament: hosts Japan, ICC Full Members Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, plus qualifiers Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman. The women’s event features eight teams, including Japan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, along with qualifiers China, Malaysia and Thailand.
India enter both tournaments as defending champions after sweeping gold in the men’s and women’s events at Hangzhou. The BCCI has already named its 15-member women’s squad, with Harmanpreet Kaur retained as captain and Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain. The rest of the squad blends experience and youth: Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Deepti Sharma anchor the batting, Richa Ghosh and G. Kamalini share wicketkeeping duties, and the bowling attack leans on spin through Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil (subject to fitness clearance) and Nandni Sharma, backed by pacers Renuka Thakur and Arundhati Reddy.
Beyond Cricket: Other Storylines Building Up to the Games
Not every Asian Games 2026 story is about the marquee sports. Pakistan’s equestrian team has its own milestone coming in Aichi-Nagoya: veteran rider Usman Khan will make his Games debut after three previous editions slipped away due to financial setbacks. Riding alongside his horse Eden du Veret, known by the stable name Mirage, Khan becomes the first Pakistani combination to compete in the Olympic discipline of eventing at an Asian Games.
The eventing competition will actually take place in Tokyo, at the JRA Equestrian Park, from September 20 to 23, since equestrian sports fall under venues outside Aichi-Nagoya proper. Khan currently sits as the top-ranked combination in the FEI Middle East and Africa Region, having outperformed India’s rider in a recent qualifying event in France, which adds a layer of regional rivalry heading into Japan.
Quotes and Reactions
India’s Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, reviewing preparations earlier this year, said over 700 Indian athletes are expected to compete across more than forty sports disciplines at the Games. He reaffirmed government support covering training, logistics, and medical care in the lead-up to competition.
Organisers behind the Games mascot, Honohon, described the character as being “born from passion and flame in the hearts of athletes,” tying the design to the event’s official motto of bringing people together through sport. The tiger-fish figure draws on Nagoya’s Shachihoko symbol and traditional Kabuki-inspired red eye markings, giving the mascot a distinctly regional identity rather than a generic sports cartoon.
Impact: Why This Edition Matters Regionally
For cricket specifically, Asian Games 2026 carries extra weight because T20 cricket is set to return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028, the sport’s first Olympic appearance since 1900. That’s pushing several cricket boards to treat Aichi-Nagoya as a dress rehearsal of sorts, both competitively and logistically, for the bigger stage two years later.
More broadly, the Games give smaller Asian sporting nations a rare shot at continental recognition in disciplines that don’t otherwise get much international attention. Pakistan’s equestrian breakthrough is one example; expect similar milestone stories to surface from other underrepresented delegations once competition begins.
Conclusion: What to Watch For Next
With the opening ceremony just weeks away, national federations across Asia are finalising squads, and more team lists are expected to be announced through early September. Expect continued build-up coverage around marquee cricket fixtures, basketball rosters, and any last-minute changes to competing nations’ final delegations as the Games approach.
Once competition begins on September 19, attention will likely shift quickly toward medal tallies, with China, Japan, South Korea, and India historically dominating the overall standings, though Aichi-Nagoya’s unique venue spread across three prefectures could shake up logistics and travel-heavy schedules for several teams.
FAQs
Who will host Asian Games in 2026?
Japan is hosting the 2026 Asian Games, specifically across Aichi Prefecture and the city of Nagoya, in what’s officially being branded as the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games. This is the third time Japan has hosted the event overall, following earlier editions in Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994, though some events, including swimming, diving, and equestrian, will actually be held outside Aichi-Nagoya in Tokyo due to venue availability.
Is cricket in Asian Games 2026?
Yes, cricket is back on the programme for its fourth Asian Games appearance, played in the T20 format across separate men’s and women’s tournaments. The women’s event runs from September 17 to 22, and the men’s from September 24 to October 3, both hosted at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture. India enter both tournaments as the defending gold medallists from the previous Games in Hangzhou.
Where will the Asian Games be held in 2026?
The core of the Games will be held in Nagoya city and the surrounding Aichi Prefecture, with the opening and closing ceremonies both taking place at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. A handful of sports, including swimming, diving, and equestrian events, have been shifted to venues in Tokyo instead, since Aichi-Nagoya doesn’t have purpose-built facilities for every one of the 41 sports on the programme.
