2026 in Indian sports

The year 2026 in Indian sports describes the events that will happen in the year 2026. The main highlights for this year are: the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan respectively.

Multi-sport events

Asian Games

Main article: 2026 Asian Games

The 2026 edition will be the 20th appearance made by the Indian contingent at the 2026 Asian Games, which will held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026. ^[1]

Qualification

India secured it's first-ever surfing quotas as both men's team and women's team qualfied for the surfing competitions in the 2026 Games during the 2024 Asian Surfing Championships. ^[2] India again secured two quotas from the Asian Surfing Championships 2025, which was held in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu during August 2025 and bagged the maximum four quotas for the Games. ^[3]

Chess

Men's World Chess Championship

Main article: World Chess Championship 2026

The World Chess Championship 2026 will be a chess match to determine who will hold the World Chess Champion position. It will be played between the defending champion Gukesh Dommaraju ^[4] and a challenger, who will be the winner of the Candidates Tournament 2026. ^[5]

Women's Candidates Tournament

The FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 will be an eight-player chess tournament held to determine the challenger for the Women's World Chess Championship 2026. ^[6] Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy qualified for the tournament as the winner and runner-up of the Women's Chess World Cup 2025 respectively. ^{[7] [8]}

Cricket

Men's T20 World Cup

Main article: 2026 Men's T20 World Cup

India will enter as the defending champions ^[9] as well as the co-host (along with Sri Lanka) in the 2026 edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup between February to March 2026. ^[10] It will be India's 10th appearance in the tournament.

Women's T20 World Cup

Main article: 2026 Women's T20 World Cup

The Indian women's team will participate in the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by England between 12 June to 5 July 2026. ^{[11] [12]}

Group Stage

Further information: 2026 Women's T20 World Cup group stage

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	NR	Pts	NRR	Qualification
1	Australia	0	0	0	0	0	0	—	Advanced to the semi-final
2	India	0	0	0	0	0	0	—
3	Pakistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	—
4	South Africa	0	0	0	0	0	0	—
5	TBD	0	0	0	0	0	0	—
6	TBD	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

First match(es) will be played: 13 June 2026. Source: ^{[ citation needed ]}

Match 3 14 June 2026 14:30 Scorecard

India	v	Pakistan

Edgbaston, Birmingham

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Match 5 17 June 2026 14:30 Scorecard

India	v	TBD

Headingley, Leeds

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Match 9 21 June 2026 14:30 Scorecard

India	v	South Africa

Old Trafford, Manchester

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Match 11 25 June 2026 14:30 Scorecard

India	v	TBD

Old Trafford, Manchester

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Match 15 28 June 2026 14:30 Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Lord's, London

Mens: New Zealand tour of India

The New Zealand cricket team is scheduled to tour India in January 2026 to play the Indian cricket team. ^[13] The tour will consist of three One Day International (ODI) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) matches. ^{[14] [15]} The T20I series will form part of both teams' preparation ahead of the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup tournament. ^{[16] [17]}

One-day Internationals

11 January 2026 13:30 (D/N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Baroda Cricket Association Stadium, Vadodara

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14 January 2026 13:30 (D/N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot

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18 January 2026 13:30 (D/N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Holkar Stadium, Indore

Twenty-20 Internationals

21 January 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

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23 January 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Nava Raipur

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25 January 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Assam Cricket Association Stadium, Guwahati

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28 January 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam

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31 January 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

India	v	New Zealand

Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

Mens: India tour of England

The Indian cricket team is scheduled to tour England in July 2026 to play the England cricket team. ^[18] The tour will consist of three One Day International (ODI) and five Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. ^[19]

Twenty-20 Internationals

1 July 2026 18:30 (N) Scorecard

England	v	India

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

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4 July 2026 14:30 Scorecard

England	v	India

Old Trafford, Manchester

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7 July 2026 18:30 (N) Scorecard

England	v	India

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

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9 July 2026 18:30 (N) Scorecard

England	v	India

County Ground, Bristol

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11 July 2026 18:30 (N) Scorecard

England	v	India

Rose Bowl, Southampton

One-day Internationals

14 July 2026 13:00 (D/N) Scorecard

England	v	India

Edgbaston, Birmingham

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16 July 2026 13:00 (D/N) Scorecard

England	v	India

Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

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19 July 2026 11:00 Scorecard

England	v	India

Lord's, London

Women: India tour of Australia

The India women's cricket team is scheduled to tour Australia in February and March 2026 to play the Australia women's cricket team. ^{[20] [21]} The tour will consist of one Test, three One Day International (ODI) and three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. ^{[22] [23]}

Twenty-20 Internationals

15 February 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

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19 February 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Manuka Oval, Canberra

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21 February 2026 19:00 (N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

One-day Internationals

24 February 2026 13:30 (D/N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Allan Border Field, Brisbane

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27 February 2026 14:30 (D/N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Bellerive Oval, Hobart

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1 March 2026 14:30 (D/N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

Junction Oval, Melbourne

Test match

6–9 March 2026 (D/N) Scorecard

Australia	v	India

WACA Ground, Perth

Women's: India tour of England

The India women's cricket team is scheduled to tour England in May and June 2026 to play three Twenty20 International (T20I) matches against the England women's cricket team. ^{[24] [25]} The matches will serve as preparation for both teams ahead of the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup. ^[26] Following the T20 World Cup, the India women's team to play one-off Test match in July 2026 at Lord's in London. ^[27]

Twenty-20 Internationals

28 May 2026 18:30 (N) Scorecard

England	v	India

County Ground, Chelmsford

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30 May 2026 TBC Scorecard

England	v	India

County Ground, Bristol

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2 June 2026 18:30 (N) Scorecard

England	v	India

County Ground, Taunton

Test match

10–13 July 2026 Scorecard

England	v	India

Lord's, London

Football

AFC Women's Asian Cup

Main article: 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup

India will compete in the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup, held in Australia from 1 to 21 March 2026. ^[28]

Final Tournament: Group Stage

India was seeded in the fourth pot of the draw and was grouped alongside Japan, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei. ^{[29] [30]}

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Japan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Knockout stage		—	10 Mar	—	4 Mar
2	Vietnam	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			—	—	4 Mar	—
3	India	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Possible Knockout stage		7 Mar	—	—	10 Mar
4	Chinese Taipei	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0			—	7 Mar	—	—

First match(es) will be played: 4 March 2026. Source: AFC

4 March 2026 (2026-03-04)

19:00 (UTC+8)

Vietnam	v	India

Perth Rectangular Stadium , Perth

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7 March 2026 (2026-03-07)

19:00 (UTC+8)

India	v	Japan

Perth Rectangular Stadium , Perth

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10 March 2026 (2026-03-10)

20:00 (UTC+11)

India	v	Chinese Taipei

Western Sydney Stadium , Sydney

References

1. "2026 Asian Games to be held in autumn to avoid summer heat in Japan". Xinhuanet. xinhuanet.com. 19 August 2018. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
2. "First-ever quotas for Indian surfing for 2026 Asian Games". The Hindu. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
3. "Indian surfers bag two Asian Games 2026 quotas from Mahabalipuram". Olympics.com. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
4. Graham, Bryan Armen (2024-12-12). "Gukesh Dommaraju becomes youngest world chess champion after horrific Ding Liren blunder". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-12-12.
5. "FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026: Qualification paths" (PDF). FIDE. 27 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
6. "Qualification paths for FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 finalized". FIDE . 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2025-02-28.
7. "Chess | Historic! 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh crowned FIDE Women's World Cup champion, becomes India's 88th GM". The Times of India. 2025-07-28. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 2025-07-28.
8. Levin, Anthony (2025-07-28). "2025 Women's World Cup Final Tiebreaks: Divya Wins Women's World Cup, Earns Grandmaster Title". Chess.com. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
9. "T20 World Cup: India end long title drought after final for the ages against South Africa". The Indian Express. 2024-06-29. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
10. "India to host 2026 T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka, 2031 ODI World Cup with Bangladesh". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
11. "India set to host 2025 Women's ODI World Cup". ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 26 July 2022.
12. "England to host 2026 T20 Women's World Cup". Sky Sports . Retrieved 26 July 2022.
13. "BCCI confirms venues, schedule for New Zealand's white-ball tour". Cricbuzz . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
14. "IND vs NZ 2026 schedule out, 8 venues to host 3 ODIs & 5 T20Is". Inside Sport . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
15. "Men's Future Tours Program" (PDF). International Cricket Council . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
16. "India to warm-up for T20 World Cup 2026 with white-ball series against New Zealand". India Today . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
17. "Vadodara to host first men's international in 15 years during NZ tour of India". ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 18 June 2025.
18. "England unveil blockbuster schedule for summer of 2026". International Cricket Council . Retrieved 24 July 2025.
19. "India to tour England again in 2026 for white-ball series". Cricbuzz . Retrieved 24 July 2025.
20. "Australia announce action-packed 2025/26 home season fixtures". International Cricket Council . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
21. "India women's team set for all-format series against Aus in early 2026". Business Standard . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
22. "Women's Future Tours Programme" (PDF). International Cricket Council . 4 November 2024. Retrieved 30 March 2025.
23. "India Women set for day-night Test in Perth". ESPNcricinfo . Retrieved 30 March 2025.
24. "England to host five countries in blockbuster 2026 summer of international cricket". Sky Sports . Retrieved 28 July 2025.
25. "England Women to Host New Zealand, India, and Ireland in 2026; Dates Locked In for Historic Lord's Test". Female Cricket. 24 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
26. "England unveil blockbuster schedule for summer of 2026". International Cricket Council . 24 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
27. "India to Face England in Historic First-Ever Women's Test at Lord's in 2026". Female Cricket. 25 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2025.
28. "Australia and Uzbekistan confirmed as 2026 and 2029 AFC Women's Asian Cup hosts". AFC. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
29. "All eyes on AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Final Draw". the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 23 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
30. "AFC Women's Asian Cup™ Australia 2026 Match Schedule" (PDF). the-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.