Asian Games 2026: India Begin Kabaddi Title Defence Against Japan as Both Teams Target Another Gold

India’s kabaddi campaign at the Asian Games 2026 begins on September 21, with both the men’s and women’s teams entering the competition as defending champions. 

After winning gold in both events at Hangzhou 2022, India will begin its title defence in Aichi-Nagoya with the objective of progressing through the group stage and returning to the medal rounds. Kabaddi will be played at the Tokai Citizen Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, with the men’s and women’s gold-medal matches scheduled for September 26. For India, the opening day brings contrasting challenges. The men face hosts Japan, while the women begin their campaign against Bangladesh.

The Indian men’s team opens its campaign against Japan in Group A on September 21 at 9:45 AM IST. The group also contains South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh, making consistency through the group stage important for India. The official Asian Games draw places India, Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh together in Group A, while Group B consists of Iran, Thailand, Pakistan, Malaysia and Nepal. Historically, however, Japan has found India an extremely difficult opponent at the Asian Games.

The head-to-head record shown in the supplied graphic covers seven previous Asian Games meetings, beginning in 1990. India won all seven. The first meeting at Beijing 1990 ended with India 45-18 Japan. Four years later, India won 62-16, before another substantial victory, 59-25, at Bangkok 1998. At Busan 2002, India recorded a 53-21 victory. The dominance continued at Doha 2006, where India won 55-25.

The 2010 Guangzhou semifinal was another one-sided contest, with India defeating Japan 52-17. Their most recent Asian Games meeting came at Hangzhou 2022, when India registered a 56-30 victory.

That gives India a perfect 7-0 Asian Games head-to-head record against Japan, But past results will have little direct relevance once the opening whistle goes in Aichi-Nagoya. Japan will have home support, while India will enter the tournament carrying the expectations that come with being the defending champion.

Women begin against Bangladesh.

India’s women’s team also begins its campaign on September 21. The opening match is against Bangladesh at 4:15 PM IST. The women’s competition features two groups. India is in Group A alongside Iran, Japan and Bangladesh, while Group B comprises Sri Lanka, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Nepal. Bangladesh will therefore provide India with its first test before a potentially important group-stage meeting against Iran on September 23.

Iran represents one of the major challenges in the group. With only four teams in Group A, every match can have significant consequences for the route through the competition. India will therefore be looking for a strong opening performance against Bangladesh before turning its attention to the tougher contests ahead.

India’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams arrive in Japan with the distinction of being defending Asian Games champions. The Olympic Council of Asia has specifically listed both Indian kabaddi teams among the gold-medal winners from Hangzhou 2022 returning to defend their titles in Aichi-Nagoya. That makes September 21 more than just the first day of competition.

It marks the beginning of another attempt to maintain India’s position at the top of Asian kabaddi. The pressure will naturally be different for the two teams. The men have a historically dominant record against their opening opponents, but they must still navigate a group containing South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh.

For the women, the presence of Iran in the same group adds another layer of competition. Their September 23 fixture could become one of the key matches of the preliminary stage.

Six days of kabaddi action

The kabaddi competition runs from September 21 to September 26, with the medal matches scheduled for the final day.  For Indian fans, the opening day offers two opportunities to follow the defending champions. First up will be the men, who take on Japan at 9:45 AM IST. Later in the day, the women will begin their campaign against Bangladesh at 4:15 PM IST.

The Indian teams will be looking to establish momentum from the outset, but the tournament is likely to be decided by how effectively they handle the later stages of the competition. For the men, the Japan fixture brings another chapter in a remarkably one-sided Asian Games rivalry. For the women, Bangladesh is the first step in a group that also contains Iran and Japan.

India has arrived in Aichi-Nagoya as the defending champion in both events. The next six days will determine whether the country can once again finish the Asian Games with two kabaddi gold medals.

The journey begins on September 21. First, Japan stands between India and the opening win in the men’s competition. A few hours later, the women take the court against Bangladesh, beginning their own title defence.