The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has officially approved cricket as one of the sports at the 2026 Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games, scheduled in Japan from September 19 to October 4. The decision came during the 41st meeting of the AINAGOC Board of Directors on April 28 at Nagoya City Hall, where both cricket and mixed martial arts received formal approval.
Cricket at the Games will follow the T20 format (20 overs per side) and be hosted in Aichi Prefecture, although exact venues are still under consideration. The inclusion is expected to draw significant interest, particularly from South Asian nations, and serves as a precursor to cricket’s return to the Olympic programme at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
This marks cricket’s fourth appearance at the Asian Games, having featured previously in Guangzhou (2010), Incheon (2014), and Hangzhou (2023). India’s men’s and women’s teams, both defending champions, will aim to retain their titles in Nagoya.
Notably, cricket’s forthcoming Olympic inclusion will be its first since the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated France by 158 runs in the only match of the tournament. The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will thus host cricket alongside 40 other sports, engaging around 15,000 athletes and officials from the OCA’s 45 member nations.
In a unique housing arrangement for the Aichi–Nagoya Games, a “floating Athletes’ Village” will be established aboard a cruise ship docked at Nagoya Port, accommodating 4,600 participants. While athletes from sports such as archery, basketball 3×3, judo, rugby, and weightlifting will stay aboard the ship, cricketers—as well as badminton and football players—will be housed in nearby hotels.
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