For the third time in their history the Asian Games will return to Japan in 2026.
The Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya will welcome more than 10,000 of the continent's greatest athletes across 41 different sports.
This year's Games will also mark 75 years since the in inaugural edition held back in 1951 in New Delhi, India.
Here's everything you need to know about the Asian Games.
Dates
The 20th edition of the Asian Games will get underway with an opening ceremony at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on 19 September 2026.
Events will run for over two weeks before the Games come to a close with the closing ceremony on 4 October 2026.
Location
The 2026 Asian Games are set to be hosted around the Aichi Prefecture in Japan.
The area, in partnership with its capital Nagoya, made an official proposal to host the Games during a general assembly in 2016 and received unanimous support.
Nagoya is the third Japanese city to serve as a host, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
Sports
A total of 43 sports are set to be included at the 2026 Asian Games, with a total of 469 total events.
That figure represents a slight increase from the 2022 Games in Hangzhou, China, where a total of 40 sports were included.
Two of the headline inclusions are cricket and mixed martial arts, with the former set to serve as the Asian qualifier ahead of the sport's return to the Olympics in 2028.
History
Formed in the wake of the Second World War, the Asian Games were conceived as a way to demonstrate the spirit of unity in the region, with New Delhi serving as the host of the first intercontinental event in 1952.
Following a period of scandals throughout the 1960s and '70s the International Olympic Committee terminated its sponsorship of the Games, a move that briefly threatened the future of the event.
The formation of the Olympic Council of Asia in 1981 led to a reorganisation of the Games and the body took over sanctioning from the 1986 event in Seoul, South Korea.
Since the inception of the Games no country has won more gold medals, and more total medals, than three-time hosts China.
This year's hosts Japan follow closely behind in second in the all-time medals table, while South Korea round out the top three.
