India Begin Asian Games Hockey Campaign with Gold and LA 2028 Qualification in Sight

India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams are set to begin their campaigns at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with two major objectives in focus winning the gold medal and securing direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The hockey competition will be held in Kakamigahara, with both Indian teams beginning their respective campaigns on September 20. The men will face Indonesia in Pool A, while the women will take on Uzbekistan in Pool B. The Asian Games come at an important stage for both teams following their contrasting campaigns at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026. The Indian men finished eighth, while the Indian women produced their best World Cup finish in 52 years by securing fifth place.

Now, both teams have turned their attention towards the continental challenge.

The Indian men enter the tournament as the defending Asian Games champions after winning gold in Hangzhou in 2023. They will be looking to retain the title and extend their strong record at the Asian Games, where India have won four men's hockey gold medals. The team is led by captain Harmanpreet Singh and coached by Craig Fulton. India also arrive in Japan as reigning Asian champions after winning the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir.

The Asian Games title carries additional importance this time because the gold medallist will earn a direct qualification berth for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

For Fulton, the focus is on using the lessons from the World Cup rather than dwelling on the eighth-place finish. “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,” Fulton said.

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India will begin their Pool A campaign against Indonesia on September 20 at 11:30 AM IST. They will then face Sri Lanka on September 22, South Korea on September 24, Japan on September 26 and Bangladesh on September 28. With every pool match contributing towards their route to the knockout stage, India will look to establish momentum from the opening game.

Women carry World Cup momentum

The Indian women arrive in Aichi-Nagoya after a historic World Cup campaign.

Their fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup was their best-ever result in more than five decades and provided a significant boost to the team heading into the Asian Games.

Led by captain Salima Tete, India will now look to convert that momentum into a medal challenge. The women won bronze at the 2023 Asian Games and will be targeting only their second Asian Games gold medal.

The team is coached by Sjoerd Marijne, who returned to the Indian women’s programme earlier this year and was appointed Chief Coach in January 2026.

Marijne has urged the players to acknowledge their World Cup achievement while quickly moving on to the next challenge. “We did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament,” Marijne said. “You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one.”

He has also emphasised that success at the World Cup cannot guarantee similar results in Japan. “Success is not guaranteed. You have to fight for it again and give even more,” he added.

India will begin their Pool B campaign against Uzbekistan on September 20 at 7:30 AM IST. Their remaining group matches are against Indonesia on September 21, Thailand on September 23, Japan on September 25 and Singapore on September 27.

One tournament, two Olympic qualification opportunities

Although the two Indian teams have entered the Asian Games after very different World Cup campaigns, their immediate objective is similar: remain focused on their own performances and progress one match at a time. Fulton has stressed the importance of giving every opponent the same level of intensity.

“All respect to whoever we play. The only way to truly respect the opposition is by giving 100%,” he said. Marijne has adopted a similar approach, choosing to concentrate on India's own performance rather than what other teams are doing. “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.

The pool stages will conclude on September 28, followed by the semifinals on September 30. The women’s gold medal match is scheduled for October 2, while the men’s final will take place on October 3.

For the Indian men, the tournament represents an opportunity to defend their Asian Games crown and secure another Olympic qualification. For the women, it is a chance to build on their historic World Cup performance and challenge for their first Asian Games gold since 1982.

With LA 2028 qualification on the line, India’s Olympic journey begins in Aichi-Nagoya.