Cricket has retained its place at the Asian Games for the 2026 edition, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced on Wednesday, while Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is set to make its debut at the continental showpiece.

The 2026 Asian Games will be held in Japan's Aichi and Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, with around 15,000 athletes expected to compete.

“The latest development in the compilation of the sports programme came at the 41st meeting of the AINAGOC Board of Directors at Nagoya City Hall on Monday, April 28, when cricket and Mixed Martial Arts were both formally approved,” the OCA said.

MMA's inclusion will boost India's chances for medals, with Anshul Jubli and Pooja Tomar among the leading names from India in the sport.

For cricket, this will be the fourth appearance at the Asian Games. It made its debut as a medal event at the Asian Games in Guangzhou 2010 and returned at Incheon 2014, although the matches were not not internationally recognised.

Cricket returned to the Asian Games in 2023 after being dropped from the programme at Jakarta 2018. This time, all the matches were granted international status by the International Cricket Council (ICC) – the global governing body for cricket.

In the previous edition of the Games, India won gold medals in both men’s and women’s categories. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka won the silver in the men’s and women’s events, respectively. Bangladesh won bronze in both categories.

The cricket matches at the 2026 Asian Games will be held in Aichi. As cricket is now part of the Olympic roster, with the sport set to return to the Games at LA 2028, there will be renewed enthusiasm around the sport.

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