The 20th Asian Games

The 20th Asian Games · Japan

Edd September 19, 2026

Aichi-Nagoya Turns Up the Heat

Dates, host cities, every participating delegation—and the official opening-ceremony highlights from Asia’s biggest sporting celebration.

Asia’s biggest sporting stage is blazing across central . The opened with fireworks, motion and unmistakable local character—and now thousands of athletes are chasing history across one of the most ambitious sports programs on the continent.

This is more than a medal rush. It is a 16-day collision of speed, skill, tradition and next-generation spectacle, gathered under the official rallying cry “.”

Japan last hosted the Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994, making Aichi-Nagoya 2026 a return 32 years in the making.

The Games are enormous in scale, featuring , 71 disciplines, 469 events, and 1,407 medals.

Organizers expected more than 11,000 athletes from across Asia, turning the host region into a living map of the continent’s sporting talent.

From athletics, swimming and football to badminton, martial arts, cricket, and more, every day offers a different kind of drama. Records will fall. New stars will arrive. And for many athletes, a single moment here could define an entire career.

Who is participating?

The field comprises 45 National Olympic Committees—officially described as countries and regions—plus the . That makes 46 delegations in all, while the refugee team is listed separately and is not counted as a country or NOC.

Afghanistan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Bhutan
Brunei Darussalam
Cambodia
People’s Republic of China
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Hong Kong, China
India
Indonesia
Islamic Republic of Iran
Iraq
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Republic of Korea
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos People’s Democratic Republic
Lebanon
Macau, China
Malaysia
Maldives
Mongolia
Myanmar
Nepal
Oman
Pakistan
Palestine
Philippines
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
Sri Lanka
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Chinese Taipei
Timor Leste
Thailand
Turkmenistan
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Yemen

Also participating: OCA Refugee Team

Watch the opening ceremony

The curtain rose on September 19 at . Directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi, the ceremony fused sport with the traditions, energy and hospitality of .

Full opening-ceremony replay

One continent. One roar.

The feel built for unforgettable contrasts: centuries-old cultural symbols beside futuristic venues, fierce rivalries followed by warm exchanges, and individual dreams unfolding inside a continental celebration.

There are still days of competition ahead. Follow the official schedule, pick your must-watch events and prepare for the kind of moments that make a stadium erupt—and make an entire continent stop and watch.