Schedule for Indian Major Sports in 2026

The Ultimate 2026 Indian Major Sports Calender

If there was ever a year to be an Indian sports fan, 2026 is it. From hosting the world's best badminton and cricket stars to hunting for medals at the Asian Games, our athletes have a mountain to climb. Here is your month-by-month guide to every major roar, lift, and goal.

Quarter 1: The Winter Slog & World Cup Fever (Jan – Mar)

• India Open Super 750 (Jan 13–18) | Badminton, New Delhi The season kicks off at home. Expect the IG Indoor Stadium to be a pressure cooker as Satwik-Chirag and PV Sindhu look to set an early-year statement.

• ICC U-19 Men’s World Cup (Jan 15 – Feb 6) | Cricket, Zimbabwe & Namibia The factory of Indian cricket never stops. Our "Young Guns" head to Africa to defend their legacy and find the next superstar.

• Asian Shooting Championship (Feb 2–14) | Shooting, New Delhi Hosted at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, this is a vital qualification event. In shooting, India doesn’t just compete; we dominate.

• ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (Feb 7 – Mar 8) | Cricket, India & Sri Lanka The crown jewel. India co-hosts the mega event, with the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The goal is simple: keep the trophy at home.

• AFC Women’s Asian Cup (Mar 1–21) | Football, Australia The Blue Tigresses head Down Under, looking to break into the top tier of Asian football on the world-class pitches of Australia.

• Candidates Tournament (Mar 28 – Apr 16) | Chess, Pegeia, Cyprus India's chess prodigies—the likes of Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa—will battle to see who earns the right to challenge for the World Title.

Quarter 2: The Summer Heat & Global Stages (Apr – Jun)

• Asian Weightlifting Championships (Apr 1–10) | Weightlifting, Ahmedabad Ahmedabad welcomes the continent's strongest. For Mirabai Chanu, this is a rare chance to hear the home crowd roar during a major championship.

• FIFA World Cup 2026 (Jun 11 – Jul 19) | Football, USA/Canada/Mexico The biggest show on earth. While we wait for India's debut, the 48-team spectacle will have every Indian football fan glued to the screen.

• ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (Jun 12 – Jul 5) | Cricket, England & Wales The Women in Blue head to the swinging conditions of England. After years of close calls, Harmanpreet’s team is hungry for that maiden ICC title

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Quarter 3: The Season of Giants (Jul – Sep)

• Commonwealth Games (Jul 23 – Aug 2) | Multi-sport, Glasgow, Scotland A "lean" edition with fewer sports. Without Shooting or Wrestling, India’s track and field athletes and swimmers will have to carry the medal hopes.

• FIH Hockey World Cup (Aug 14–30) | Hockey, Belgium & Netherlands A massive joint World Cup for both Men and Women. Can our hockey stars recreate the magic of the Olympics on the European turf?

• BWF World Championships (Aug 17–23) | Badminton, New Delhi Badminton comes home again! Hosting the World Championships is a massive win for India, and the atmosphere in Delhi will be legendary.

• Chess Olympiad (Sep 4–17) | Chess, Samarkand, Uzbekistan India enters as the team everyone fears. In the land of Timur, our Grandmasters will look to cement India as the new superpower of chess.

• Asian Games (Sep 19 – Oct 4) | Multi-sport, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan The definitive test of 2026. Every medal counts as India looks to better its record-breaking "100-paar" haul from the previous edition.

Quarter 4: The Final Push (Oct – Dec)

• World Weightlifting Championships (Oct 28 – Nov 9) | Weightlifting, Ningbo, China The year’s final test of strength. Our lifters head to China to face the world's most elite competition.

• ISSF World Championships (Nov 1–15) | Shooting, Doha, Qatar The shooting season wraps up in the desert. After a year of continental battles, this is where the "World Champion" titles are finally decided.

• World Chess Championship (December) | Chess, Venue TBD The year might end with an Indian on top of the world. Gukesh Dommaraju will be defending (or reclaiming) the throne in the most anticipated chess match of the decade.

Complete Schedule

Closing Thoughts

2026 isn't just a year of sports; it’s a year of grit. We are hosting the world, we are traveling to conquer, and we are proving that India is no longer just a "one-sport nation." From the first serve in January to the final checkmate in December, The Khel India will be with you every step of the way.