India Asian Games schedule: India will begin its campaign in various sports starting September 17

Indian athletes will participate in the 2026 Asian Games, starting on September 17. India will compete for medals in several sports, including cricket, hockey, kabaddi, and badminton.

India Asian Games schedule: India will begin its campaign in various sports starting September 17

Competition for Indian athletes at the 2026 Asian Games will begin on September 17. While the opening ceremony for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, is scheduled for September 19, India's first event—in teqball—will take place on September 17. Fans will not have to wait until the opening ceremony to see Indian athletes in action.

India aims to improve upon its performance from Hangzhou; the Indian contingent won 107 medals at the 2022 Asian Games. This time, India is participating in 35 sports with a squad of 508 athletes. The athletics squad is the largest, comprising 79 athletes, followed by the hockey team with 40 players, and cricket and shooting with 30 players each.

The games will kick off with the cricket events

In cricket, the women's team will begin its campaign with a quarter-final match against Japan on September 18. A victory would secure their spot in the semi-finals on September 20 and the medal matches on September 22. The men's team has received direct entry into the quarter-finals and will take the field on September 28; the men's semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, with the final taking place on October 3.

The men's hockey team will start its campaign against Indonesia on September 20, followed by matches against Sri Lanka, South Korea, Japan, and Bangladesh. The semi-finals will be held on October 1, and the final on October 3. The women's team will also play its opening match against Uzbekistan on September 20; their semi-final is scheduled for September 30, and the gold medal match for October 2.

Kabaddi and Badminton Matches

In kabaddi, the men's and women's teams will begin their campaigns on September 21. The semi-finals will take place on September 25, followed by the finals on September 26. The badminton team events will be held from September 20 to 24, with individual competitions taking place from September 25 to 29.

Shooting events will be held from September 20 to October 1. Athletics competitions will take place from September 24 to 29. Boxing will run from September 21 to October 2, archery from September 26 to October 3, and wrestling from September 30 to October 3. Additionally, Indian athletes will compete for medals in sports such as rowing, table tennis, squash, tennis, cycling, and equestrian events.