Asian Games 2026: India's men's and women's hockey teams eye gold

The hockey competition will be played in Kakamigahara

The Indian Men’s and Women’s Hockey Teams are set to begin their respective campaigns at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with both sides arriving in Japan with a clear objective—to challenge for the gold medal and secure a direct qualification berth for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The hockey competition will be played in Kakamigahara, with the Indian men beginning their campaign on 20 September against Indonesia, while the women will also take the field on the same day against Uzbekistan. The men have been drawn in Pool A alongside Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, while the women are in Pool B alongside Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and Singapore.

The Asian Games assume added significance for both teams following their respective campaigns at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026. The Indian men finished eighth in the World Cup, while the Indian women produced their best World Cup finish in 52 years by securing fifth place. The contrasting outcomes have, however, left both teams with a similar approach heading into the continental showpiece — learn from the World Cup, make the necessary improvements, and focus firmly on the task ahead.

Men eye title defence after Hangzhou gold

For the Indian men, the Asian Games represent an opportunity to defend the gold medal won at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. India’s title defence also carries the additional incentive of direct qualification for the LA 2028 Olympic Games. The team, led by captain Harmanpreet Singh and coached by Craig Fulton, will look to draw on its experience from recent international competition while making a fresh start in Japan.

Fulton focuses on turning World Cup lessons into action

Fulton has emphasised the importance of converting the lessons from the World Cup into action rather than dwelling on the result.

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“These are lessons, and the only way to treat them as lessons learned is to turn that learning into action. That’s what we’ve got to do now. We’ve discussed everything, gone through everything, and highlighted areas needing improvement. At the same time, it’s now about action,” said Fulton.

The Indian men also enter the tournament as reigning Asian champions, having won the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir. Their continental pedigree includes four Asian Games gold medals, with their most recent triumph coming in Hangzhou in 2023.

India will open their Pool A campaign against Indonesia on 20 September at 11:30 IST, before facing Sri Lanka on 22 September, South Korea on 24 September, Japan on 26 September, and Bangladesh on 28 September.
The Indian women, meanwhile, head into the Asian Games with considerable momentum after a historic fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026—their best finish at the tournament in more than five decades. The team has also undergone a period of renewed development under Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne, who returned to the Indian women’s programme earlier this year and was appointed Chief Coach in January 2026.

Led by captain Salima Tete, the Indian women will be aiming to improve on their bronze-medal finish at the 2023 Asian Games and challenge for only their second Asian Games gold medal. The team’s recent World Cup campaign, which included a 2-2 draw against China, has provided further belief ahead of the continental tournament.

Marijne has been keen to ensure that the players acknowledge what they achieved at the World Cup before immediately turning their attention to the next challenge.

“We did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament… You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one,” said Marijne.

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The chief coach has also stressed that the World Cup success cannot become a reason for the team to relax, adding, “Success is not guaranteed. You have to fight for it again and give even more.”

Pool schedules and key dates for both teams

India’s women will begin their Pool B campaign against Uzbekistan on 20 September at 07:30 IST, followed by matches against Indonesia on 21 September, Thailand on 23 September, Japan on 25 September and Singapore on 27 September.

While both teams have different recent World Cup experiences, their approach to the Asian Games is centered on the same principle: staying focused on their own game and taking the tournament one match at a time.

For Fulton, that means respecting every opponent by giving the same intensity in every game.

“All respect to whoever we play. The only way to truly respect the opposition is by giving 100%. That’s what we’ve done, and that’s what we’ll continue to do in all the tournaments,” he said.

Marijne has echoed a similar philosophy with the women, choosing to focus on the team’s own performance rather than the opposition.

“We are really busy with ourselves. What other countries are doing, it doesn’t have my interest. We need to do our things really well, and then the outcome can be good,” he said.

With the pool stages scheduled through 28 September, the semi-finals will take place on 30 September. The women’s gold medal match is scheduled for 2 October, followed by the men’s final on 3 October.

As India’s two senior hockey teams begin their campaigns in Aichi-Nagoya, both will look to translate their recent international experiences into performances that can take them deep into the competition. For the men, it is an opportunity to defend their continental crown and create history with a second successive Asian Games gold. For the women, it is a chance to build on their remarkable World Cup campaign and pursue a long-awaited return to the top of the Asian Games podium.

With Olympic qualification at stake, the road to LA 2028 begins in Japan.

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