Asian Games 2026 Schedule, Events & Venue Details

The 2026 Asian Games run from September 19 to October 4, 2026, across Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with 43 sports and over 460 gold medal events spread across 53 venues.

Competitive action, however, starts nine days earlier on September 10 with football preliminaries. This is the complete sport-by-sport competition schedule, covering every discipline, venue, and medal timeline for the 20th Asiad in Aichi-Nagoya.

Asian Games 2026 at a Glance

Before jumping into the full schedule, here is a quick snapshot of the key details for Aichi-Nagoya 2026. These numbers reflect the latest updates confirmed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the AINAGOC (Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee) as of mid-2026.

Detail	Information
Official Name	20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026
Motto	Imagine One Asia
Host Region	Aichi Prefecture, Japan (with events in Tokyo, Shizuoka, Gifu)
Opening Ceremony	September 19, 2026 (18:00 JST) at Paloma Mizuho Stadium
Closing Ceremony	October 4, 2026 (18:00 JST) at Paloma Mizuho Stadium
First Competition Day	September 10, 2026 (Football)
Total Sports	43
Total Medal Events	468+
Competition Venues	53
Participating Nations	45 National Olympic Committees
Expected Athletes	~15,000 athletes and officials
Mascot	Honohon (based on Nagoya Castle’s golden shachihoko)
Host Broadcaster (Japan)	TBS Television
India Broadcaster	Sony Sports Network / SonyLIV

Complete Sport-by-Sport Schedule for Asian Games 2026

This is the main section of the article. Below is the complete competition schedule for all 43 sports at the 2026 Asian Games, organized by category. Each entry includes the competition dates, venue, and total gold medals on offer. The schedule data comes from the official AINAGOC Daily Schedule document (last updated February 2026), with subsequent additions confirmed by the OCA.

Note: Some exact date ranges are still marked as “To Be Announced” by the organizing committee, particularly for athletics track and field and water polo.

Aquatics

Aquatics alone accounts for 55 gold medals across four disciplines. Swimming takes centre stage at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre (the 2020 Olympics venue), while artistic swimming moves to Shizuoka. Here is the breakdown.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Swimming	Sep 20-25	Tokyo Aquatics Centre	41
Diving	Sep 26-29	Tokyo Aquatics Centre	10
Artistic Swimming	Sep 26-27	ToBiO Hamamatsu Swimming Center (Shizuoka)	2
Water Polo	TBA	Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Pool)	2

Swimming is the single biggest gold medal sport at the 2026 Asiad, offering 41 titles across six action-packed days. If Japan’s Ikee Rikako qualifies, home crowds will have plenty to cheer about in the sprint freestyle and butterfly events.

Athletics

Athletics is the second-largest medal programme at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with a combined 50 gold medals across track and field, marathon, and race walk. All events take place in and around Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, the main venue that also hosts both ceremonies.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Track and Field	TBA (expected Sep 20-25)	Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium	44
Marathon	Sep 25	Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium	2
Race Walk	Sep 22, Sep 26	Aichi Prefectural Govt Loop Course	4

The second weekend (September 26-27) is expected to be the peak period for major medal moments in athletics. The organizing committee has not yet released detailed event-by-event timings for the 100m and 200m sprints as of this writing.

Racquet Sports

From badminton to the brand-new padel, racquet sports offer a combined 22+ gold medals at Aichi-Nagoya 2026. Squash, table tennis, and soft tennis complete this category.

Sport	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Badminton	Sep 20-29	Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium	7
Table Tennis	Sep 22-27	SKY HALL TOYOTA	7
Tennis	Up to Oct 3	Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center	5
Soft Tennis	Sep 20-23	Nagoya City Higashiyama Park Tennis Center	5
Squash	Sep 26 – Oct 1	Nagoya Kinjo-Futo Arena	5
Padel (New)	TBA	TBA	TBA

Badminton runs for a full 10 days, making it one of the longest-running sports at the Games. Paris 2024 Olympic champion An Se-young of South Korea and Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia are potential headline acts, should they qualify and get selected.

Combat Sports and Martial Arts

Combat sports are a major pillar of the Asian Games, blending Olympic disciplines with traditional Asian martial arts. This edition adds Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as a debut discipline. Together, combat sports and martial arts contribute a massive 80+ gold medals to the programme.

Sport	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Boxing	Up to Sep 28	Nishio Gymnasium	11
Judo	Sep 29 – Oct 3	Aichi International Arena	15
Karate – Kata	Sep 20-23	Toyohashi Gymnasium	4
Karate – Kumite	Sep 20-23	Toyohashi Gymnasium	11
Taekwondo – Kyorugi	Oct 3-4	Toyohashi Gymnasium	8
Taekwondo – Poomsae	Sep 29	Toyohashi Gymnasium	2
Wrestling – Freestyle	Sep 29 – Oct 2	Nagoya City Inae Sports Center	12
Wrestling – Greco-Roman	Sep 29 – Oct 1	Nagoya City Inae Sports Center	6
Jiu Jitsu	Oct 1-3	Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall	8
Kurash	Sep 26-28	Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall	6
MMA (New)	Sep 20	Nagoya City Inae Sports Center	6
Wushu – Taolu	Sep 20-23	Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall	8
Wushu – Sanda	Sep 24	Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall	7

Judo is the heavyweight of this group with 15 golds. Meanwhile, MMA makes its Asian Games debut with 6 medal events (4 men’s, 2 women’s) approved by the OCA in April 2025. The sport falls under the Combat Sports umbrella alongside jiu jitsu and kurash.

Team Sports

Team sports span the entire duration of the Games, with football kicking off as early as September 10. Cricket’s return in T20 format is one of the most anticipated additions, especially for South Asian fans.

Sport	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Football	Sep 10 – Oct 4	Multiple venues (Toyota Stadium, Ecopa, etc.)	2
Basketball	Sep 18 – Sep 25	Aichi International Arena	2
3×3 Basketball	Sep 23	Kinjo Futo Station Square Venue	2
Volleyball	Sep 21 – Oct 3	Okazaki & Park Arena Komaki	2
Beach Volleyball	Oct 1-3	Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court	2
Handball	Sep 27 – Sep 29	Kasugai City Gymnasium / ENTRIO	2
Hockey	Up to Oct 3	Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium	2
Baseball	Up to Sep 27	Okazaki & Toyohashi Stadiums	1
Softball	Oct 3-4	Anjo Softball Ground	1
Rugby Sevens	Oct 2-3	Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field	2
Cricket – T20 (Returning)	Sep 20 – Oct 3	Korogi Athletic Park	2
Kabaddi	Up to Sep 26	Tokai Citizen Gymnasium	2
Sepaktakraw	Sep 22 – Oct 2	Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium	6

Cricket returns to the Asian Games after its 2023 Hangzhou appearance. The programme features both men’s and women’s T20 tournaments, and these matches will also serve as Asian qualifiers for cricket at the LA 2028 Olympics. Expect ten men’s teams and eight women’s teams to compete.

Cycling

Cycling is a diverse programme with five disciplines and 22 gold medals. Track cycling at the iconic Izu Velodrome (also a Tokyo 2020 venue) accounts for more than half of those golds. Freestyle BMX makes its Asian Games debut this edition.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Road	Sep 19-21	Circuit course in Shinshiro City	4
Track	Sep 28 – Oct 1	Izu Velodrome (Shizuoka)	12
Mountain Bike	Sep 23-24	Obata Ryokuchi Park	2
BMX Racing	Sep 27	Nagoya Velodrome BMX Race Course	2
BMX Freestyle (New)	Sep 27	TBA	2

Gymnastics

Artistic gymnastics headlines this category with 14 golds packed into just five days. Paris 2024 vault champion Carlos Yulo (Philippines) and Japan’s Hashimoto Daiki could clash in the all-around and apparatus finals.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Artistic Gymnastics	Sep 20-24	Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Hall)	14
Rhythmic Gymnastics	Oct 2-3	Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Hall)	2
Trampoline Gymnastics	Sep 28	Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Hall)	2

Shooting

Shooting offers a combined 28 gold medals across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines. All events take place at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery. India, China, and South Korea historically dominate this sport at the Asiad.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Rifle	Sep 20-22, Sep 24-25	Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery	9
Pistol	Sep 22-24, Sep 27, Sep 29	Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery	9
Shotgun	Sep 22-23, Sep 28-29	Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery	10

Water and Sailing Sports

Several water-based sports run during the second half of the Games. Sailing stands out with 14 golds across eight days at Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor. Meanwhile, surfing makes its Asian Games debut at Pacific Long Beach in Tahara, taking advantage of Japan’s excellent coastal infrastructure.

Sport	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Sailing	Sep 26 – Oct 3	Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor	14
Rowing	Sep 22-23	Nagaragawa International Regatta Course	14
Canoe/Kayak – Sprint	Sep 22-24	Miyoshi Lake Canoe Course	12
Canoe/Kayak – Slalom	Sep 28 – Oct 2	Yahagigawa Canoe Slalom Course	6
Surfing (New)	Sep 25-29	Pacific Long Beach (Tahara, Aichi)	2
Triathlon	Sep 20-21	Gamagori City Triathlon Venue	3

Rowing matches sailing’s 14-gold haul but wraps up in just two days, making those September 22-23 sessions extremely medal-dense.

Equestrian

Equestrian events take place at the Tokyo Equestrian Park, another venue repurposed from the 2020 Olympics. Seven gold medals are at stake across dressage, eventing, and jumping.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Dressage	Sep 25, Sep 27	Equestrian Park (Tokyo)	2
Eventing	Sep 22	Equestrian Park (Tokyo)	2
Jumping	Sep 30, Oct 3	Equestrian Park (Tokyo)	3

Fencing

Fencing delivers 12 gold medals across foil, épée, and sabre at Aichi Sky Expo. Competition runs from September 20 to 27, with individual and team events spread across both weeks.

Discipline	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Foil	Sep 20-21, Sep 24-25	Aichi Sky Expo	4
Épée	Sep 20, Sep 24-25, Sep 27	Aichi Sky Expo	4
Sabre	Sep 21-22, Sep 26-27	Aichi Sky Expo	4

Other Individual Sports

Several other sports round out the programme. From weightlifting’s 16-gold marathon to the fresh addition of breaking (breakdancing), there is something for every type of sports fan.

Sport	Dates	Venue	Gold Medals
Weightlifting	Sep 22-28	Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center	16
Modern Pentathlon	Sep 19	Anjo Sports Park	4
Golf	Oct 4	Kasugai Country Club East Course	4
Sport Climbing	Sep 29 – Oct 2	Nagoya Int’l Exhibition Hall (Portmesse)	6
Skateboarding	Sep 24-25	Aichi Sky Expo	4
Breaking (New)	Oct 3	Aichi Sky Expo	2
Archery – Recurve	Oct 3-4	Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park	5
Archery – Compound	Sep 29-30	Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park	5
Teqball (New)	TBA	TBA	TBA
Virtual Taekwondo (New)	Oct 2	Toyohashi City General Gymnasium	1

Esports

Esports returns after its wildly successful Hangzhou 2023 debut, now expanded from 7 to 11 medal events featuring 13 game titles. Competition runs from September 23 to October 2 at Aichi Sky Expo. Titles include League of Legends, PUBG Mobile, Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Gran Turismo 7, and others.

Sports Making Their Asian Games Debut in 2026

One of the most exciting aspects of every Asian Games edition is the addition of new sports. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 introduces six sports/disciplines making their first-ever appearance at the Asiad, keeping the programme fresh and appealing to younger audiences.

Surfing

Surfing makes its Asian Games debut at Pacific Long Beach in Tahara, Aichi. Two gold medals are on offer (men’s and women’s shortboard). A total of 48 surfers have qualified across both genders, with a maximum of 2 athletes per NOC per gender.

Japan’s coastal infrastructure and hosting experience from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (where surfing debuted at Tsurigasaki Beach) made this inclusion a natural fit.

Breaking (Breakdancing)

Breaking continues its journey from the Paris 2024 Olympics into the Asian Games, with 2 gold medals (men’s and women’s) scheduled for October 3 at Aichi Sky Expo. B-boys and B-girls will compete in head-to-head battles judged on creativity, technique, and musicality.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

MMA joins the Combat Sports family with 6 medal events (4 men’s weight classes, 2 women’s). The OCA approved its inclusion in April 2025, and competition is set for September 20 at Nagoya City Inae Sports Center.

Padel

AINAGOC confirmed padel as an official medal sport in March 2026. This racquet sport combines elements of tennis and squash, played in an enclosed court, and has seen explosive global growth. Organizers have not yet finalized the venue or detailed schedule.

Teqball

Teqball blends football and table tennis, played on a curved table. AINAGOC confirmed it in February 2026. The sport already featured at the 2023 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and has a growing competitive circuit in Asia.

Virtual Taekwondo

Virtual Taekwondo is the most futuristic addition. Athletes wear VR headgear and motion-tracking devices to strike at a virtual opponent. The OCA approved it in June 2026. Competition will be a mixed-gender 16-player knockout at Toyohashi City General Gymnasium on October 2.

This takes the total sports count to 43, with approximately 468-469 medal events on the programme.

Competition Venues Across Japan

Unlike many multi-sport events that cluster everything in one city, the 2026 Asian Games spread across four prefectures. Most events are in Aichi Prefecture (centred around Nagoya), but several disciplines use world-class facilities in Tokyo, Shizuoka, and Gifu.

Aichi Prefecture (Main Hub)

The vast majority of competitions take place here, with key venues including:

Venue	Sports
Paloma Mizuho Stadium	Athletics, Opening/Closing Ceremonies (capacity: ~35,000)
Aichi International Arena	Basketball, Judo
Aichi Sky Expo	Breaking, Esports, Fencing, Skateboarding
Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium	Badminton
Toyohashi Gymnasium	Karate, Taekwondo
Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Hall)	Artistic/Rhythmic/Trampoline Gymnastics
Nagoya City General Gymnasium (Rainbow Pool)	Water Polo
Nishio Gymnasium	Boxing
Nagoya City Inae Sports Center	MMA, Wrestling
Aichi Prefectural Martial Arts Hall	Jiu Jitsu, Kurash, Wushu
SKY HALL TOYOTA	Table Tennis
Kasugai Country Club East Course	Golf
Pacific Long Beach (Tahara)	Surfing
Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor	Sailing
Korogi Athletic Park	Cricket (T20)

Tokyo

Swimming and diving will take place at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, while equestrian events head to the Tokyo Equestrian Park. Japan built both facilities for the 2020 Olympics, so expect world-class competition standards.

Shizuoka

Cycling track events take place at the Izu Velodrome (another Tokyo 2020 venue), while artistic swimming moves to the ToBiO Furuhashi Hironoshin Memorial Hamamatsu Swimming Center.

Gifu

Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium hosts hockey, while Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium serves as a football venue.

Unique Features of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games

No Traditional Athletes’ Village

In a first for the Asian Games, organizers decided against building a permanent athletes’ village. Instead, athletes will stay in hotels, temporary wooden container-style housing at the Port of Nagoya Garden Wharf, and aboard the Costa Serena cruise ship docked at Kinjo Pier, which can accommodate approximately 4,000-4,600 athletes.

Fan Zone at Hisaya Odori Park

Hisaya Odori Park in central Nagoya will host the “One Asia World” fan zone, featuring cultural exchanges, celebrations, and live entertainment throughout both the Asian Games and the subsequent Asian Para Games.

How to Watch Asian Games 2026 Live

Here is a quick rundown of confirmed broadcast partners for the 2026 Asian Games:

Region	Broadcaster
Japan	TBS Television (Host Broadcaster)
India & Subcontinent	Sony Sports Network (TV) / SonyLIV (Streaming)
South Korea	JTBC / Naver (Streaming)
Philippines	Pilipinas LIVE
Indonesia	K-Vision

For Indian viewers specifically, Sony secured the rights for approximately $3.5-4 million, covering live broadcasts, expert analysis, and multi-language programming across Sony Sports Network channels and SonyLIV.

Ticket Information for Asian Games 2026

General ticket sales opened on June 30, 2026, with prices starting at ¥1,500 (~$10 USD). You need a Supporter ID registration before purchasing tickets through the official ticket portal. Here are a few key points:

Zone C seats for most sports cost under ¥3,500. Opening and Closing Ceremony tickets have a cap of 6 per account and sell out fast. Some roadside events, like the race walk and cycling road race, offer free viewing. Esports spectator ticket sales opened on June 30, 2026.

All ticket purchases go through the official AINAGOC ticket portal. Third-party resellers like StubHub also list select events, though we recommend the official channel for guaranteed access.

Final Word

The Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya will be Asia’s biggest sporting spectacle of the year, with 43 sports, 468+ events, and 15,000 athletes competing across 16 days.

From swimming’s 41-gold bonanza at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre to the debut of surfing and MMA, there is truly something for every sports fan. Bookmark this page for schedule updates as the Games draw closer.

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