The Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 begin on September 19, with India set for more than two weeks of competition across a wide range of sports.
From Manu Bhaker and Mirabai Chanu in shooting and weightlifting to Tajinderpal Singh Toor, Jyothi Yarraji and Neeraj Chopra's absence shaping the athletics programme, there will be several major medal events to follow.
Here are the key dates and timings in IST to keep track of India's biggest events.
September 19-22: Shooting, cricket and team sports begin
The Games officially open on September 19, with the opening ceremony scheduled for 2:30 PM IST.
India's first major medal opportunity comes on September 20, when Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod compete in the women's 10m air rifle final at 11 AM.
India's men's 10m air rifle trio of Parth Mane,
Rudrankksh Patil and Himanshu Dhillon will compete for medals the following day.
On September 22, Parth Mane and Elavenil Valarivan will contest the mixed team 10m air rifle final.
Other key events during the opening days include India's women's cricket semi-final, kabaddi group matches and the men's and women's hockey campaigns.
September 23-26: A packed medal stretch
September 23 could be one of India's busiest medal days.
Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Suruchi Phogat will compete in the women's 10m air pistol final, while Mirabai Chanu will target the women's 49kg weightlifting title.
Maheshwari Chauhan and Anantjeet Singh Naruka will also be in contention in the skeet events.
The following day brings the men's 10m air pistol final, with Kedarling Uchaganve, Akash Bharadwaj and Kamaljeet representing India. The mixed skeet team final will also feature Maheshwari Chauhan and Anantjeet Singh Naruka.
September 25 sees Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar and Rudrankksh Patil compete in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions final, while athletics brings the men's and women's 100m events into focus.
September 26 features another shooting medal opportunity in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions, while the kabaddi finals take centre stage.
The women's kabaddi final is scheduled for 9:30 AM, followed by the men's final at 2:30 PM.
Later in the day, two-time defending Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor will compete in the men's shot put final.
September 27-30: Athletics takes centre stage
The athletics programme intensifies from September 27.
Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh are among the Indian names to watch in the women's 25m pistol final, while Ancy Sojan and Shaili Singh will compete in the women's long jump.
Jyothi Yarraji will contest the women's 100m hurdles final, while Parul Chaudhary features in the women's 3000m steeplechase. Tejaswin Shankar will also complete his decathlon campaign.
September 28 brings the men's javelin final - notably India's first Asian Games javelin final in 12 years without Neeraj Chopra. Sreeshankar Murali will compete in the men's long jump, while Avinash Sable features in the 3000m steeplechase.
Gulveer Singh will be one of India's key medal contenders in the men's 5000m on September 29.
The same day will also feature badminton finals and shooting finals in men's and women's trap.
October 1-3: Archery, wrestling and team finals
The final stretch of the Games will see India's traditional strengths come into focus.
Archery's compound and recurve events will provide several medal opportunities, while wrestling begins its medal programme with Greco-Roman events on September 30 and October 1 before the freestyle competitions take over.
Anish Bhanwala will compete in the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol final on October 1.
India's men's cricket team is scheduled to play its quarter-final on September 28 and, if it progresses, the semi-final on October 1.
The hockey tournaments also enter their decisive stages, with the women's final on October 2 and men's final on October 3.
The Games conclude on October 3, with the final archery, wrestling, golf, volleyball and tennis events on the schedule.
Key dates India Asian Games 2026
| Date | Major Indian Events |
|---|---|
| September 20 | Women's 10m air rifle final |
| September 21 | Men's 10m air rifle final |
| September 22 | Mixed 10m air rifle final; cricket final if India qualify |
| September 23 | Manu Bhaker in 10m air pistol; Mirabai Chanu in 49kg |
| September 24 | Men's 10m air pistol; mixed skeet; badminton team finals |
| September 25 | Men's 50m rifle 3P; athletics finals |
| September 26 | Women's 50m rifle 3P; kabaddi finals; Tajinderpal Toor in shot put |
| September 27 | Jyothi Yarraji, Ancy Sojan, Shaili Singh, Parul Chaudhary, Tejaswin Shankar |
| September 28 | Sreeshankar Murali; men's javelin; Avinash Sable; men's cricket quarter-final |
| September 29 | Gulveer Singh; badminton finals |
| September 30 | Compound archery; wrestling begins |
| October 1 | Anish Bhanwala; archery and wrestling; men's cricket semi-final |
| October 2 | Hockey women's final; archery and wrestling |
| October 3 | Hockey men's final; archery and wrestling; tennis finals |
The schedule remains subject to progression from qualification and knockout rounds, but these are the key dates around which Indian fans can plan their Asian Games viewing.
