2026 in Indian sports
2026 Sporting season for India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The year 2026 in Indian sports describes the new sporting events that have happened, or will happen, in 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, the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan and the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal respectively.
This year, several honours have been awarded to the athletes who have contributed to the nation in various sporting disciplines. Vijay Amritraj (tennis) was awarded the Padma Bhushan. At the same time, the Padma Shri awardees include Baldev Singh (field hockey), Bhagwandas Raikwar (martial arts), Harmanpreet Kaur (cricket), K. Pajanivel (martial arts), Praveen Kumar (para-athletics), Rohit Sharma (cricket) and Savita Punia (field hockey) respectively.[1]
Multi-sport events
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Medals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–22 February |  2026 Winter Olympics (summary) |
International | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22–30 April |  2026 Asian Beach Games (summary) |
Continental | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| 23 July – 2 August |  2026 Commonwealth Games (summary) |
International | ||||
| 19 September – 4 October |  2026 Asian Games (summary) |
Continental | ||||
| 18–24 October | 2026 Asian Para Games (summary) |
Continental | ||||
| 31 October – 13 November |  2026 Summer Youth Olympics |
International | ||||
| 28 November – 7 December |  2026 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games |
Continental | ||||
Results
- Winter Olympics – India sent two athletes with Stanzin Lundup finishing 104th[2] and Arif Khan finishing at 39th position[3] in their respective events.
- Asian Beach Games – India sent a total of 31 athletes, with the nation winning six medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) and finishing sixth in the medals tally.[4]
Archery
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Medals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 2025 – 29 March | 2026 Indoor Archery World Series | International | N/a | |||
| 31 March – 4 July | 2026 World Archery Para Series | International | 7 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 7 April – TBD | 2026 Archery World Cup | International | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Results
- Indoor Archery World Series – Kushal Dalal won gold in the men's compound individual at the GT Open.[5] Abhishek Verma won bronze in the men's compound individual and Jyothi Surekha Vennam won bronze in the women's compound individual at the Taipei Open.
- Archery Para Series – India dominated the first stage, winning 12 medals (including 7 gold medals).[6]
- Archery World Cup – The Indian compound women's team clinched the gold medal in the first stage, defeating the USA in the final.[7] Sahil Jadhav won bronze in the compound men's individual in the second stage.[8] The Indian recurve women's team clinched the gold medal in the second stage, defeating China in the final.[9] Dhiraj Bommadevara won the recurve men's individual event in the third stage. He also won the gold medal in the recurve mixed team event along with Kumkum Mohod.[10]
Athletics
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10 January |  2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships |
International |
| 6 January – 8 February | 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships |
Continental |
| 24–25 March |  2026 Indian Indoor Athletics Championships |
National |
| 12 April |  2026 World Athletics Race Walking Team Championships |
International |
| 2–3 May |  2026 World Athletics Relays |
International |
| 27–31 August | 2026 World Athletics U20 Championships |
International |
| 8–11 October | 2026 Indian National Open Athletics Championships |
National |
Results
- World Athletics Cross Country Championships – India participated in the competition with seven athletes but did not win any medals.
- Asian Indoor Athletics Championships – Tejaswin Shankar won gold in the men's heptathlon event.[11] Tajinderpal Singh Toor won silver in the men's shot put event. Pooja Singh won a silver medal in the women's high jump. Jothi Aadarsh Ram won bronze in the men's high jump event.[12] Ancy Sojan won bronze in the women's long jump event.
- Race Walking Team Championships – India sent 15 athletes but did not win any medals. Priyanka Goswami finished 10th in the senior women's marathon, contributing to the nation's 5th-place finish in the women's team marathon event.[13]
- World Athletics Relays – India fielded five relay teams; however, none of them advanced to the final round.
Badminton
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January – 13 December |  2026 BWF World Tour
|
International | N/a |
| 3–8 February | 2026 Badminton Asia Team Championships |
Continental | Japan (M) South Korea (W) |
| 8–14 February |  2026 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships |
International | China |
| 7–12 April | 2026 Badminton Asia Championships |
Continental | South Korea |
| 24 April – 3 May |  2026 Thomas & Uber Cup |
International | China (T) South Korea (U) |
| 26 June – 5 July | 2026 Badminton Asia Junior Championships |
Continental | |
| 17–23 August | 2026 BWF World Championships |
International | |
| 5–18 October |  2026 BWF World Junior Championships |
International | |
| TBD | 2026 Premier Badminton League |
Domestic | |
Upcoming fixtures
Results
- World Tour – P. V. Sindhu finished in 3/4 position in the Malaysia Open after losing to Wang Zhiyi in the semis.[14] Devika Sihag won the women's singles title in the 2026 Thailand Masters and became the third Indian WS player to win a Super 300 title.[15] Lakshya Sen finished as the runner-up in the 2026 All England Open after losing to Lin Chun-yi in the final.[16] Isharani Baruah and Tanvi Sharma finished in the 3/4 position respectively in the women's singles of the 2026 Orléans Masters.[17] Shriyanshi Valishetty finished as the runner up in the 2026 Baoji China Masters,[18] whereas, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ended as runner-up in the Thailand Open[19] and won the Singapore Open by beating Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Shohibul Fikri.[20]
- Asian Team Championships – Defending champions India crashed out in the quarterfinals in the women's team event, losing to China by 0–3 and finished in seventh position.[21] In the men's team event, India lost to South Korea in the quarterfinals by 1–3, finishing eighth in the tournament.[22]
- World Para Championships – India secured 15 medals, consisting of 2 gold, 5 silver, and 8 bronze, finishing third in the medal standings. Pramod Bhagat was the standout player, winning 2 golds in the men's singles SL3 and the men's doubles SL3-SL4 events.[23]
- Asian Championships – Ayush Shetty won a silver medal in the men's singles event after being defeated by Shi Yuqi in the final.[24]
- Uber Cup – The Indian women's team finished in 11th position, failing to qualify for the knockouts for the first time since the 2018 edition.
- Thomas Cup – The Indian men's team won the bronze medal, after losing to France by 0–3 in the semi-finals. This was their second-ever medal in tournament history.[25]
Boxing
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 20 April – 2 December | // 2026 World Boxing Cup |
International |
| 14–27 October |  2026 World Boxing U19 Championships |
International |
Results
Chess
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 16 January – 1 February |  Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2026 |
International |
| 13–15 February |  FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship 2026 |
International |
| 28 March – 16 April |  Candidates Tournament 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 |
International |
| 5 May – 28 August |  / / / Grand Chess Tour 2026 |
International |
| 25 May – 5 June |  Norway Chess 2026 |
International |
| 15–28 September | 46th Chess Olympiad |
International |
| TBA |  World Chess Championship 2026 |
International |
| TBA | Women's World Chess Championship 2026 |
International |
Upcoming fixtures
- World Championship –
Gukesh Dommaraju will face 
Javokhir Sindarov in TBD 2026 to defend his World champion title. - Women's World Championship – Vaishali Rameshbabu will challenge
Ju Wenjun in TBD 2026 to clinch her first-ever world championship title.
Results
- Tata Steel Tournament – The country was represented by five players in the Masters and Challengers categories. The best finish by an Indian in this edition was Gukesh Dommaraju, who placed joint eighth.
- Freestyle World Championship – Arjun Erigaisi finished at sixth position, while Pranav Venkatesh could not make past the play-ins.
- Candidates Tournament – Vaishali Rameshbabu won the women's tournament, becoming the second Indian woman after Koneru Humpy to compete in the Women's World Championship.[26] Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa finished 7th in the open tournament, while Divya Deshmukh also finished 7th in the women's category.
- Grand Chess Tour – Gukesh Dommaraju finished 6th in the Super Rapid & Blitz Poland. R. Praggnanandhaa finished joint-5th in the Super Chess Classic Romania.
Cricket
Calendar
Men's results
- Ranji Trophy – Jammu and Kashmir defeated Karnataka by virtue of a first-innings lead to win their maiden title.[27]
- Vijay Hazare Trophy – Vidarbha defeated Saurashtra by 38 runs to win their maiden title.[28]
- Indian Street Premier League – Chennai Singams defeated Tiigers of Kolkata by 29 runs to clinch their maiden title.[29]
- IND v NZ – New Zealand won the ODI series against India 2–1, achieving their first-ever ODI series victory on Indian soil. India won the T20I series by 4–1, achieving their seventh consecutive bilateral T20I series title after the 2024 World Cup.[30]
- Men's U-19 World Cup – India crushed England by 100 runs to win their sixth Men's Under-19 World Cup title.[31]
- Men's T20 World Cup – India defeated New Zealand by a commanding 96 runs to win their second consecutive and third overall T20 World Cup title.[32]
- Indian Premier League - Royal Challengers Bengaluru won their second consecutive title after defeating Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets.[33]
Women's results
- Women's Premier League – Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets to win their second WPL title, after 2024.[34]
- Senior One-day Trophy – Delhi defeated Railways by 7 wickets to clinch their second title.[35]
- Asia Cup Rising Stars – India A defeated Bangladesh A by 46 runs to win their second title.[36]
- AUS v IND – Australia won both the ODI series (by 2-1) and Test series (by 1-0), while India won the T20I series (by 2-1).[37]
- SA v IND – South Africa won the T20I series after defeating India by 1-4. This was South Africa's first-ever T20I home series victory against India.
Field hockey
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Winner(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 December 2025 – 28 June |  2025–26 Men's FIH Pro League |
International | |
| 28 December 2025 – 26 January | 2025–26 Hockey India League (Men & Women) |
Domestic | Kalinga Lancers (Men) Delhi SG Pipers (Women) |
| 8 – 14 March | 2026 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers (India Leg) |
International |  England |
| 14 – 30 August |  / 2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup/ 2026 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup |
International | |
Upcoming fixtures
Results
- Men's Hockey India League – Kalinga Lancers defeated Ranchi Royals to win their second title in HIL history.[38]
- Women's Hockey India League – SG Pipers Hockey defeated Shrachi Bengal Tigers in penalty shoot-off to clinch their maiden title.[39]
- Women's World Cup Qualifier – India finished as the runners-up, losing to England in the final by 0–2 and qualified for the 2026 Women's FIH Hockey World Cup.[40]
Football
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Dec 2025 – 8 February | 2025–26 Santosh Trophy |
Domestic | Services |
| 20 Dec 2025 – 17 May | 2025–26 Indian Women's League |
Domestic | East Bengal |
| 14 February – 21 May | 2025–26 Indian Super League |
Domestic | East Bengal |
| 25 February – 23 May | 2025–26 Indian Football League |
Domestic | Diamond Harbour |
| 1–21 March |  2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup |
Continental | Japan |
| 23 March – 3 April |  2026 SAFF U-20 Championship |
Regional |  Bangladesh |
| 25–31 March | 2026 Tri-Nation Series |
Trilateral |  Tajikistan |
| 1–18 April |  2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup |
Continental | Japan |
| 11–15 April |  2026 FIFA Women's Series (Kenya Stage) |
Continental | Australia |
| 1–17 May | 2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup |
Continental |  North Korea |
| 5–22 May | 2026 AFC U-17 Asian Cup |
Continental | Japan |
| 25 May – 5 June | 2026 SAFF Women's Championship |
Regional | India |
| 26–30 May | 2026 Unity Cup |
Quadlateral |  Nigeria |
| 21 September – 6 October | 2026 SAFF Championship |
Regional | |
Men's Results
- Santosh Trophy – Services defeated Kerala by 1–0 to clinch their eighth title.[41]
- Indian Super League – East Bengal won their first-ever ISL title and became the national champions since the 2003–04 NFL.[42]
- Indian Football League – Diamond Harbour won their first-ever IFL title and were promoted to the Indian Super League.[43]
- U-20 SAFF Championship – India ended as runner-up after they got beaten by Bangladesh by 3–4 on penalties in the final.[44]
- U-23 Tri-Nation Series – India finished as the runner-up in the tournament after being defeated by Tajikistan with a score of 0–1.[45]
- U-17 Asian Cup – India did not win any matches and failed to advance past the group stage.
- Unity Cup - India did not win any matches and finished bottom of the table without scoring any goal.[46]
Women's Results
- Indian Women's League – East Bengal won their second-consecutive IWL title.[47]
- Women's Asian Cup – India did not win any matches and failed to advance past the group stage.
- Women's U-20 Asian Cup – India did not advance past the group stage, but concluded its campaign on a high note by defeating the higher-ranked Chinese Taipei 1–3.[48]
- FIFA Series – India finished third in the Kenya stage of the tournament, defeating Malawi in the third-place playoff by 3–2.[49]
- Women's U-17 Asian Cup – India finished 7th in the tournament after a 0–3 defeat to China. This represents their best-ever finish in tournament history.[50]
Futsal
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 – 25 January | 2026 SAFF Women's Futsal Championship |
Regional | Bangladesh |
| 14 – 26 January | 2026 SAFF Futsal Championship |
Regional | Maldives |
Results
Golf
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 3 February – TBA | 2026 Professional Golf Tour of India |
Domestic |
| 11 February – 28 November | 2026 Asian Development Tour |
Continental |
Results
- Asian Development Tour – Pukhraj Singh Gill won the ADT Players Championship, which was also part of the 2026 Professional Golf of Malaysia Tour.[53]
Handball
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 – 29 January |  2026 Asian Men's Handball Championship |
International | Bahrain |
| 24 June – 5 July | 2026 IHF Women's U20 Handball World Championship |
International | |
Results
- Asian Men's Handball Championship – India finished in fifteenth place and did not win any matches in the tournament.[54]
Pickleball
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 24 January – 8 February | 2026 World Pickleball League |
Domestic |
Upcoming fixtures
Results
- World Pickleball League – Dilli Dilwale defeated Chennai Super Champs by 3-2 to clinch their maiden title.[55]
Rugby
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 16–28 June | 2026 Rugby Premier League (Men & Women) |
Domestic |
Results
Sepaktakraw
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 16–23 May |  2026 ISTAF World Cup |
International |
| TBD | 2026 King's Cup |
International |
Results
Shooting
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Medals / Winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 – 14 February | 2026 Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships |
Continental | India |
| 25 March – 8 December | 2026 ISSF World Cup | International | |
| 15 – 26 June | 2026 ISSF Junior World Championships |
International | |
| 3 – 14 September | 2026 World Para Shooting Championships |
International | |
| TBD | 2026 Shooting League of India |
Domestic | |
Results
- Asian Rifle/Pistol Championships – India achieved a total of 94 medals, including 51 gold, 23 silver, and 20 bronze, across both senior and junior events, finishing at the top of the medal tally.[56]
- World Cup – Palak Gulia and Mukesh Nelavalli won gold in the mixed 10m air pistol event in the second stage.[57] Vivaan Kapoor and Neeru Dhanda won bronze in the mixed trap event in the third stage.[58] Esha Singh won a gold medal and broke the world record in the women's 25m pistol event in the fourth stage.[59]
Table tennis
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 4 – 8 February | 2026 ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup |
Continental |
| 28 April – 10 May | 2026 World Team Table Tennis Championships |
International |
| 13 – 19 November | 2026 World Para Table Tennis Championships |
International |
Results
Weightlifting
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2 – 8 May | 2026 World Junior Weightlifting Championships |
International |
| 10 – 17 May | 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships |
Continental |
| 22 – 28 June |  2026 Youth World Weightlifting Championships |
International |
| 27 October – 8 November | 2026 World Weightlifting Championships |
International |
Results
Wrestling
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status | Winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January – 1 February | 2026 Pro Wrestling League |
Domestic | Haryana Thunders |
| 27 July – 2 August |  2026 U17 World Wrestling Championships |
International | |
| 17 – 23 August |  2026 U20 World Wrestling Championships |
International | |
| 5 – 13 September | 2026 World Wrestling Championships |
International | |
| 12 – 18 October | 2026 U23 World Wrestling Championships |
International | |
Results
- Pro Wrestling League – Haryana Thunders defeated Delhi Dangal Warriors to claim their maiden title.[64]
Volleyball
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 20–28 June | 2026 AVC Men's Volleyball Nations Cup |
Continental |
| 12–18 July | 2026 Asian Men's U18 Volleyball Championship |
Continental |
| TBD | 2026 Asian Men's U20 Volleyball Championship |
Continental |
Results
Wushu
Calendar
| Date | Venue / Event | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 4–7 April | 2026 World Junior Wushu Championships |
International |
Results
- World Junior Championships – India won a total of nine medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze) and finished in 11th position.[65]