India women's hockey schedule at Asian Games 2026: Full fixtures, IST timings and campaign details
India's women's hockey team will begin its quest for another Asian Games medal at the 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with five preliminary-round matches scheduled between September 20 and September 27.
After winning bronze at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Indian women will be looking to go further this time and challenge for the gold medal.
India has been drawn alongside Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore in the preliminary stage. The campaign will begin against Uzbekistan before the Indian team faces a packed schedule featuring four more matches against Asian rivals.
All match timings in the schedule are listed in Japan local time, which is UTC+9. India follows IST, or UTC+5:30, meaning the fixtures have been converted by subtracting three hours and 30 minutes.
India women's hockey schedule at Asian Games 2026 in IST
India will begin their campaign against Uzbekistan on September 20 at 7:30 AM IST. The team will then return to action the following day against Indonesia at 9:30 AM IST.
After a day's break, India will face Thailand on September 23 at 11:30 AM IST. The fourth preliminary-round match will be against Japan on September 25 at 7:30 AM IST, before India concludes their league-stage campaign against Singapore on September 27 at 3:30 PM IST.
September 20: India vs Uzbekistan — 7:30 AM IST
September 21: India vs Indonesia — 9:30 AM IST
September 23: Thailand vs India — 11:30 AM IST
September 25: Japan vs India — 7:30 AM IST
September 27: India vs Singapore — 3:30 PM IST
The preliminary stage will be crucial, with every result potentially shaping India's route to the medal rounds. The Indian team will need consistency across the five fixtures to secure a strong position heading into the knockout phase.
India looking to improve on Hangzhou bronze
At the previous Asian Games, held in Hangzhou in 2023, the Indian women's hockey team finished with a bronze medal. India were beaten 0-4 by China in the semi-finals but responded strongly in the medal match, defeating defending champions Japan 2-1 to finish on the podium.
China eventually won the gold medal after defeating South Korea 2-0 in the final, securing their fourth Asian Games women's hockey title. India's bronze, however, continued the team's strong record at the continental level and ensured they remained among the leading challengers in Asian women's hockey. The 2026 Asian Games will present India with another opportunity to push for the top prize. The preliminary schedule provides the team with a mix of opponents, ranging from emerging hockey nations to established Asian competitors.
Japan Clash could be the key fixture
The September 25 match against Japan stands out as one of the most important fixtures in India's preliminary-round campaign. The two teams met in the bronze medal match at the previous Asian Games, where India emerged with a 2-1 victory.
Japan has traditionally been one of India's strongest competitors in Asian women's hockey, and the fixture could have major implications for the standings. With the match coming late in the preliminary stage, both teams could enter the contest needing a victory to secure a favourable route into the knockout rounds.
India's final match against Singapore on September 27 will then complete the preliminary stage. Depending on the earlier results, that game could also carry significant importance in deciding India's final position.
India's opening two matches come on consecutive days, making the start against Uzbekistan particularly important. A positive opening result would give the team momentum heading into the quick turnaround against Indonesia.
The fixture against Thailand follows on September 23 after a rest day, while the Japan match comes two days later. Managing player workload and maintaining consistency across the tournament will therefore be important. The Asian Games is one of the biggest events on the international calendar for India's women's hockey team. Continental competition has become increasingly competitive, with China, Japan and South Korea all capable of challenging for medals.
China remain the benchmark after their gold-medal-winning performance in Hangzhou, while Japan and South Korea continue to be regular contenders. India's challenge will be to translate their international experience into consistent performances throughout the tournament.
The preliminary stage will determine which teams advance into the knockout rounds, where the pressure will increase considerably. For India, finishing strongly in the league phase will be essential to avoiding an unnecessarily difficult path.
The immediate focus, however, will be on starting well against Uzbekistan on September 20. From there, India will take on Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore in a campaign spread over eight days.
After the bronze medal in Hangzhou, India will arrive at the Asian Games 2026 with the ambition of returning to the final and competing for gold. The road begins with Uzbekistan at 7:30 AM IST on September 20, followed by a busy preliminary schedule that could define India's medal hopes in Japan.
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