Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026: Schedule, Sports and Complete Events Guide
Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026: Schedule, Sports and Complete Events Guide
The 20th Asian Games, officially known as the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, will bring athletes from across Asia together in Japan from September 19 to October 4, 2026.
The Games will be hosted across Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, with athletes competing across a wide range of established and emerging sports.
While the official Games period begins on September 19, sporting competition starts earlier. The first scheduled competition is basketball on September 10, meaning the sporting action gets underway more than a week before the Opening Ceremony.
For Indian sports fans, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will feature several major disciplines including badminton, shooting, athletics, hockey, table tennis, wrestling, boxing, cricket and football, alongside sports such as teqball, padel, breaking, skateboarding and esports.
Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026: Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| First sporting competition | September 10, 2026 |
| Opening Ceremony | September 19, 2026 |
| Main Games period | September 19 – October 4, 2026 |
| Closing Ceremony | October 4, 2026 |
The official Games period runs from September 19 to October 4, although several sports begin competition before the Opening Ceremony.
When Does the Asian Games 2026 Competition Start?
The first sporting competition of Aichi-Nagoya 2026 is scheduled for September 10, with basketball getting underway.
The early competition schedule is spread across several days:
- September 10: Basketball
- September 14: Football
- September 16: Modern Pentathlon and Volleyball
- September 17: Cricket and Teqball
- September 18: Hockey and Soft Tennis
- September 19: Opening Ceremony
From September 20 onwards, the number of sports in action increases significantly, with several major disciplines running simultaneously.
Asian Games 2026 Complete Sports Schedule
The following schedule is based on the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 discipline schedule provided for SportzPulse.
The competition dates represent the scheduled competition window for each discipline, while the medal-event dates identify the dates on which medal events are scheduled.
| Discipline | Competition Dates | Medal Events |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming | Sep 20 – Sep 25 | Sep 20 – Sep 25 |
| Diving | Sep 26 – Sep 30 | Sep 26 – Sep 30 |
| Artistic Swimming | Sep 26 – Sep 28 | Sep 27 – Sep 28 |
| Water Polo | Sep 20 – Oct 3 | Sep 24, Oct 3 |
| Archery | Sep 26 – Oct 3 | Sep 30 – Oct 3 |
| Athletics | Sep 23 – Sep 29 | Sep 23 – Sep 29 |
| Badminton | Sep 20 – Sep 29 | Sep 24, Sep 29 |
| Baseball | Sep 21 – Sep 27 | Sep 27 |
| Softball | Sep 26 – Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Basketball | Sep 10 – Sep 26 | Sep 20, Sep 26 |
| 3x3 Basketball | Sep 21 – Sep 25 | Sep 25 |
| Boxing | Sep 21 – Oct 2 | Oct 2 |
| Breaking | Oct 2 – Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Canoe Sprint | Sep 23 – Sep 26 | Sep 24 – Sep 26 |
| Canoe Slalom | Sep 29 – Oct 2 | Sep 30 – Oct 2 |
| Jiu Jitsu | Oct 1 – Oct 3 | Oct 1 – Oct 3 |
| Kurash | Sep 27 – Sep 29 | Sep 27 – Sep 29 |
| Mixed Martial Arts | Sep 20 – Sep 22 | Sep 22 |
| Cricket | Sep 17 – Oct 3 | Sep 22, Oct 3 |
| Cycling Track | Sep 29 – Oct 2 | Sep 29 – Oct 2 |
| Cycling Road | Sep 20 – Sep 23 | Sep 20, Sep 22 – Sep 23 |
| Cycling Mountain Bike | Sep 24 – Sep 25 | Sep 24 – Sep 25 |
| BMX Racing | Sep 28 | Sep 28 |
| BMX Freestyle | Sep 26 – Sep 27 | Sep 27 |
| Equestrian | Sep 21 – Oct 4 | Sep 23, Sep 25, Sep 27, Oct 1, Oct 4 |
| Esports | Sep 23 – Oct 2 | Sep 23 – Oct 2 |
| Fencing | Sep 22 – Sep 27 | Sep 22 – Sep 27 |
| Football | Sep 14 – Oct 3 | Oct 2 – Oct 3 |
| Golf | Sep 30 – Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Artistic Gymnastics | Sep 21 – Sep 25 | Sep 21 – Sep 25 |
| Rhythmic Gymnastics | Oct 1 – Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Trampoline Gymnastics | Sep 27 | Sep 27 |
| Handball | Sep 19 – Sep 29 | Sep 27, Sep 29 |
| Hockey | Sep 18 – Oct 3 | Oct 2 – Oct 3 |
| Judo | Sep 30 – Oct 3 | Sep 30 – Oct 3 |
| Kabaddi | Sep 21 – Sep 26 | Sep 26 |
| Karate | Sep 20 – Sep 23 | Sep 20 – Sep 23 |
| Modern Pentathlon | Sep 16 – Sep 20 | Sep 20 |
| Padel | Sep 28 – Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Rowing | Sep 21 – Sep 24 | Sep 23 – Sep 24 |
| Rugby Sevens | Oct 1 – Oct 3 | Oct 3 |
| Sailing | Sep 26 – Oct 3 | Sep 30 – Oct 3 |
| Sepaktakraw | Sep 20 – Oct 3 | Sep 25, Oct 2 – Oct 3 |
| Shooting | Sep 20 – Oct 1 | Sep 20 – Oct 1 |
| Skateboarding | Sep 24 – Sep 27 | Sep 25 – Sep 27 |
| Sport Climbing | Sep 29 – Oct 3 | Sep 30 – Oct 3 |
| Squash | Sep 23 – Oct 2 | Sep 27, Oct 2 |
| Surfing | Sep 25 – Sep 28 | Sep 28 |
| Table Tennis | Sep 20 – Sep 28 | Sep 24 – Sep 28 |
| Taekwondo | Oct 1 – Oct 3 | Oct 1 – Oct 3 |
| Tennis | Sep 27 – Oct 3 | Oct 2 – Oct 3 |
| Soft Tennis | Sep 18 – Sep 23 | Sep 20 – Sep 23 |
| Teqball | Sep 17 – Sep 20 | Sep 20 |
| Triathlon | Sep 20 – Sep 21 | Sep 20 – Sep 21 |
| Volleyball | Sep 16 – Oct 3 | Sep 22, Oct 3 |
| Beach Volleyball | Sep 20 – Oct 3 | Oct 2 – Oct 3 |
| Weightlifting | Sep 23 – Sep 29 | Sep 23 – Sep 29 |
| Wrestling | Sep 30 – Oct 3 | Sep 30 – Oct 3 |
| Wushu | Sep 20 – Sep 24 | Sep 20 – Sep 24 |
Asian Games 2026 Schedule: Important Phases
September 10–18: Competition Before the Opening Ceremony
The Asian Games sporting programme begins before the official Opening Ceremony.
Basketball starts on September 10, making it the first discipline on the competition calendar.
Football follows on September 14, while modern pentathlon and volleyball begin on September 16.
Cricket and teqball start on September 17, followed by hockey and soft tennis on September 18.
September 19–25: Opening Ceremony and Major Competition
The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for September 19.
By this point, several sports will already be underway. Swimming, badminton, shooting, football, hockey, basketball, cricket and other disciplines form part of the increasingly busy schedule.
Athletics begins on September 23, while table tennis, boxing, fencing and several other sports are also in competition during this period.
September 26–30: Peak Competition Period
The schedule becomes even more packed during the final days of September.
Archery, diving, artistic swimming, sailing, skateboarding, surfing, tennis, golf and multiple combat sports enter their competition windows.
Athletics concludes on September 29, while judo, wrestling and other sports begin their competitions around the end of the month.
October 1–4: Final Stage
The final days of Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be dominated by medal events and finals.
Judo, wrestling, taekwondo, rugby sevens, tennis, golf, hockey, football, volleyball and several other sports reach their decisive stages.
Many disciplines conclude on October 3.
Equestrian competition is scheduled through October 4, which is also the final day of the Games.
Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026: Schedule at a Glance
The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games officially run from September 19 to October 4, 2026, but sporting competition begins on September 10.
The supplied discipline schedule spans 59 discipline entries, with competition dates extending from September 10 through October 4.
The main competition period begins around September 20, when a large number of sports are simultaneously underway.
The final week brings the conclusion of many sports, with October 2 and October 3 featuring numerous medal events before the Games conclude on October 4.
For Indian sports fans, the schedule provides almost a month of sporting action across badminton, shooting, athletics, hockey, table tennis, wrestling, cricket, football and many other disciplines.
Note: Competition schedules can change. Check the latest official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 schedule for session-level timings, venues and any subsequent changes.