Cricket set to feature at 2026 Asian Games in Japan

Cricket is poised to feature in the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a formal confirmation expected later this week. Meetings between the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC) are currently underway to finalise the decision.

While the OCA Board’s approval is still pending, officials suggest it’s merely a formality. “The OCA Board will still need to approve it. Although we think that is just a formality. But until they do it is not 100 percent,” a Japan Cricket Association (JCA) official told Cricbuzz.

The 20th Asian Games will run from September 19 to October 4 next year, featuring 41 sports. Cricket will be joined by Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as one of the new additions to the programme. Around 15,000 athletes and officials from 45 National Olympic Committees are expected to participate.

India, the reigning gold medallist in both men’s and women’s cricket from the 2022 Hangzhou Games, will look to defend its title. Cricket will again be contested in the fast-paced T20 format. The number of participating teams has yet to be finalised, but 14 men’s and 9 women’s teams competed in the previous edition.

One major question yet to be answered is the venue. The matches will be held in Japan’s Aichi prefecture, though the specific location remains undecided. Organisers are weighing options including a temporary, modular stadium, similar to the ICC’s approach for the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York.

Cricket’s inclusion also builds momentum ahead of its long-awaited return to the Olympic stage at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. That event will mark the sport’s first Olympic appearance since 1900, when Great Britain defeated France in a one-off match.