The , officially the and also known as , was a multi-sport event held in Aichi Prefecture in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026 though several competitions started from 10 September. Nagoya, capital city of Aichi Prefecture, was the third Japanese city to host the Asian Games, after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994. Though Aichi Prefecture was the primary host, the competitions took place in three other prefectures and Tokyo Metropolis as well. The event returned to its traditional four-year cycle, after the postponement of 2022 edition to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Games marked the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Asian Games held in New Delhi, India.
Bidding process The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) welcomed the joint proposal from Aichi Prefecture and its capital Nagoya to host the Games at their annual general assembly session in Da Nang, Vietnam, on 25 September 2016. The joint bid proposal almost did not happen due to financial differences between the two interested parties; these were resolved in 2015 and 2016, allowing the joint bid to be accepted. The OCA originally planned to choose the 2026 host city in 2018, but brought the planning date forward due to the intensity of the region's sporting calendar, including the next two Winter Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups between 2018 and 2022 (held in Pyeongchang and Beijing, as well in Russia and Qatar) and the next Summer Olympic Games (held in Tokyo in 2020).
+ 2026 Asian Games bidding results City NOCResultAichi and NagoyaUnanimous
Development and preparations Costs The city of Nagoya received an estimate of roughly ¥85 billion ($560 million) in costs from the Aichi Prefecture government for the Games, 30% of which is expected to be covered by sponsorships and other revenue, while the remainder is planned to be split on a 70–30 basis between Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture. In February 2023, the cost was reported to have ballooned to ¥140.5 billion ($927 million). In September 2026, the cost had risen to ¥370 billion ($2.4 billion). Aichi Prefecture governor Hideaki Ōmura named the weakening value of the yen since 2021, geopolitical instability and rising prices for resources as contributors to the heightened budget. He highlighted that relying on a cruise ship and temporary accommodation for the athletes’ village and prioritising existing venues helped save ¥100 billion.
Athletes' Village The Aichi–Nagoya Organising Committee originally intended to construct an athletes' village on the former site of the Nagoya Racecourse in Minato-ku, Nagoya, but decided not to due to high construction material costs and to avoid the development becoming a white elephant post-Games. Instead, they chose to have several athletes' villages spread across the prefecture. Around 4,000 to 5,000 athletes were hosted in the Costa Serena cruise ship docked at the Kinjo Pier. 2,000 athletes were hosted in temporary wooden villas styled after shipping containers at the Port of Nagoya Garden Wharf, which will be reused as disaster response units and tourist lodging after the Games. The rest of the athletes were housed in several hotels across the prefecture and outlying cities. For example, athletes that were competing in swimming and diving resided at the Tokyo Bay Shiomi Prince Hotel.
Because the Games are taking place towards the end of the Pacific typhoon season, organisers have put in place several contingency plans if athletes were to be evacuated from the cruise ship due to tsunamis, typhoons or other natural disasters. Record-breaking torrential rain hit Nagoya on 8 September 2026, 2 days before the start of competitions, causing widespread flash flooding. Several hundred athletes housed in temporary structures in the port area of the city were told to evacuate by officials. While leaking roofs were observed at some venues, no major damage was reported. Nagoya city mayor Ichirō Hirosawa ruled out any major disruption to the Games as a result of the floods, however a special event featuring SKE48 was cancelled due to the inclement weather.
Venues In addition to Nagoya, several events spread across cities across Aichi Prefecture, and some venues in the Greater Tokyo Area that also hosted events during the 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as Gifu, Osaka, and Shizuoka prefectures, making the first-ever decentralized venues in history. Cycling events are scheduled to be held at the Izu Velodrome in Izu, Shizuoka. Some aquatic events were originally scheduled to be held at the Rainbow Pool, but with less than three years to go, OCA pointed out that the facilities did not meet World Aquatics' regulations. After discussions, it was decided to move the swimming events to the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, and the equestrian events to the Tokyo Equestrian Park; water polo was also moved to the Nippon Gaishi Hall's Rainbow Pool.
Hisaya Ōdori Park and Oasis 21 host a fan zone, celebration and cultural exchange hub during both Asian and Asian Para Games, known as One Asia World. It was inspired by the Champions Park at Jardins du Trocadéro that was held during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Nagoya VenuesEventsCapacityStatusPaloma Mizuho Sports ParkStadiumCeremonies35,000Existing, replacementAthletics (track and field, marathon start/finish)Rugby StadiumRugby sevens10,400Existing, renovatedFootball (men's preliminaries)ArenaSepak takraw1,158ExistingCombat sports (ju-jitsu, kurash)1,504WushuAichi International ArenaBasketball15,000NewJudoAichi Prefectural Government Office and Nagoya City Hall Loop CourseAthletics (race walk)TemporaryCS Asset Minato Soccer StadiumFootball (men's and women's preliminaries)6,700Existing, renovatedHigashi Sports CenterPadel981ExistingTeqballHigashiyama Park Tennis CenterTennis4,000 (centre court)Existing, renovatedSoft tennisCombat sports (mixed martial arts)2,232ExistingWrestlingKinjō-futō Station Square3x3 basketball1,000TemporaryWeightliftingTBAExisting with temporary standsNagoya International Exhibition HallHall 1Sport climbingTBACycling (BMX racing)156ExistingNippon Gaishi HallRainbow HallGymnastics10,000Existing, renovatedRainbow PoolAquatics (water polo)3,500Cycling (mountain bike)ExistingTakeda Teva Ocean ArenaSquash2,569Existing, renovated
Aichi Prefecture VenuesCitiesEventsCapacityStatusAnjō Sports ParkSoftball GroundAnjōSoftball2,500Existing, renovatedMultipurpose GroundModern pentathlon1,700ExistingGamagōriSailingTBAGamagōri City Triathlon VenueTriathlonTemporaryHekinan Ryokuchi Beach CourtHekinanBeach volleyballTBAExisting with temporary standsIchinomiyaBadminton2,002ExistingInazawaHandball (preliminaries and finals)3,500Wave Stadium KariyaKariyaFootball (men's and women's preliminaries)2,602KasugaiGolfTBAHandball (preliminaries)5,000Park Arena KomakiKomakiVolleyball (men's and women's preliminaries, women's final)3,000Miyoshi LakeMiyoshiCanoeing (sprint)TBAExisting with temporary standsNishio City GymnasiumNishioBoxing2,174ExistingKōrogi Athletic ParkNisshinCricket2,000Existing with temporary standsOkazaki Central ParkGeneral GymnasiumOkazakiVolleyball (men's and women's preliminaries, men's final)2,620ExistingMultipurpose SquareArcheryTBATemporaryBaseball (preliminaries)20,000Existing, renovatedShinshiro Cycling Road CourseShinshiroCycling (road)TemporaryAkabane Long BeachTaharaSurfingTBATōkai Citizens GymnasiumTōkaiKabaddi1,300ExistingAichi International Exhibition CenterHall BTokonameSkateboardingTBAExisting with temporary standsHall CCycling (BMX freestyle)TBAHall DEsportsTBAHall FFencingTBABreakingTBAToyohashi City General GymnasiumToyohashiKarate3,000ExistingTaekwondoBaseball (preliminaries and finals)15,895Existing, renovatedAichi Prefectural Shooting RangeToyotaShootingTBASky Hall ToyotaTable tennis6,500ExistingToyota StadiumFootball (men's preliminaries and finals)45,000Yahagigawa Canoe Slalom CourseCanoeing (slalom)TBAExisting with temporary stands
Outlying venues VenuesCities/WardsPrefecturesEventsCapacityStatusGifu Nagaragawa StadiumGifuGifu PrefectureFootball (women's preliminaries)26,109ExistingNagaragawa International Regatta CourseKaizuRowingTBAExisting with temporary standsKakamigaharaField hockey1,630ExistingNagai StadiumOsakaOsaka PrefectureFootball (men's and women's preliminaries)47,853Shizuoka StadiumFukuroiShizuoka PrefectureFootball (women's preliminaries and finals)50,889HamamatsuAquatics (artistic swimming)2,200Izu VelodromeIzuCycling (track)3,600Tokyo Aquatics CentreKōtōTokyoAquatics (diving, swimming)10,000Tokyo Equestrian ParkSetagayaEquestrian1,500
Torch relay The torch relay began on 18 August with a flame-lighting event in front of the 1958 Asian Games and 1964 Summer Olympics legacy cauldron near the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. Another flame-lighting event was held on 20 August at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, host of the 1994 Games. The main relay ran from 22 August to 18 September, concluding the day before the opening ceremony. Both flames were united through the use of a concave mirror, and the relay started at Nagoya Castle, passing across 40 municipalities of Aichi Prefecture and all 16 wards of Nagoya. 1,000 torchbearers took part. The torch design, as well as the relay routes were unveiled on 11 June, 100 days until the opening ceremony. There was also a torch relay for school children held from 7 to 15 September involving 14 schools.
Ceremonies Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held on 19 September 2026 at 18:00 to 20:00 JST (UTC+09:00) at Paloma Mizuho Stadium. Its theme was "Harmonic Heart Beat", and Japanese filmmaker Yukihiko Tsutsumi was appointed as the creative director of the ceremonies. It was attended and opened by the Emperor of Japan Naruhito alongside president of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry.
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony was held on 4 October 2026 at 18:00 to 19:30 JST (UTC+09:00) at Paloma Mizuho Stadium. It included a cultural presentation, closing remarks, and the formal handover to Doha, Qatar, as hosts of next edition in 2030 for the second time since 2006.
The Games Sports The 2026 Asian Games includes 469 medal events in 43 sports, a decrease of 12 events over Hangzhou 2022; Freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, surfing, teqball and virtual taekwondo made their Asian Games debut.
In April 2025, the organising committee approved the inclusion of cricket and mixed martial arts to the programme, following a request from OCA. In addition, open water swimming was removed from the programme. In December 2025, OCA approved the inclusion of padel and teqball to the programme, with all costs covered by the respective international federations of the sport. Later in June 2026, the OCA approved the inclusion of virtual taekwondo to the programme, making it the first-ever virtual sport event.
2026 Asian Games Sports ProgrammeAquatics
Baseball
Basketball
Slalom (6) Sprint (12) Combat sports
BMX racing (2) Freestyle BMX (2) Mountain bike (2) Road (4) Track (12) Equestrian (details) Dressage (2) Eventing (2) Jumping (3)
Artistic (14) Rhythmic (2) Trampoline (2)
Taekwondo (10) Virtual taekwondo (1) Tennis
Volleyball
Five regional sports that were nominated by each region of the Olympic Council of Asia: Wushu (East Asia) Sepak takraw (Southeast Asia) Kabaddi (South Asia) Kurash (Central Asia) Jujitsu (West Asia)
Three sports that were part of the 2024 Summer Olympics and are not part of the core Asian Games programme: Breaking Skateboarding Surfing
Three sports and disciplines proposed by the organising committee: Baseball Softball Karate
Seven sports and disciplines proposed by the Olympic Council of Asia: Cricket Esports Mixed martial arts Padel Squash Teqball Virtual taekwondo
Participating nations All 45 National Olympic Committees who are members of the Olympic Council of Asia are expected to send delegations. A refugee team will partake for the first time in the Asian Games.