2026 offers a packed calendar for Indian sports with world championships and early 2028 Olympic qualifiers. Cricket’s T20 World Cup, athletics, hockey, and badminton will test top athletes for global titles and Olympic berths.
The year 2026 promises to be exciting and challenging for Indian sports, with world titles up for grabs across multiple disciplines and early opportunities to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. From cricket to athletics, fans can expect a packed calendar of competitions throughout the year.
January – March
The year starts with cricket as the main focus. The Under-19 World Cup will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6, highlighting upcoming young talents. Immediately after, India’s senior men’s team will defend their T20 World Cup title at home, with some matches in Sri Lanka, from February 7 to March 8.
In tennis, the Australian Open runs from January 12 to February 1, though Indian players may not attract much attention. Badminton fans will watch the All England Championships from March 3, as P.V. Sindhu and others aim to bounce back from a tough season. Indian football enthusiasts can also look forward to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia starting March 1, marking India’s return to the tournament after a long gap.
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April – June
Late March into April sees two major events: the Candidates Chess Tournament in Cyprus (March 28 – April 16) and the Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia (March 28 – April 11). Indian chess stars like R. Praggnanandhaa, R. Vaishali, Koneru Humpy, and Divya Deshmukh will compete for top honors.
The Asian Weightlifting Championships will be held in Ahmedabad from April 1 to 10. Badminton’s Thomas and Uber Cup will run from April 24 to May 3, followed by the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London (April 28 – May 10), where India has qualified.
June will see the Women’s T20 World Cup, with Harmanpreet Kaur and her team defending India’s title, while the athletics season kicks off with the Diamond League, featuring Neeraj Chopra. International tennis events like the French Open (May) and Wimbledon (June), along with the FIFA World Cup (June-July, USA/Mexico/Canada), will also capture attention.
July – September
A smaller-scale Commonwealth Games (July 23 – August 2) will focus on athletics, boxing, and weightlifting after shooting and wrestling were dropped for budget reasons.
The World Badminton Championships will be held in Delhi from August 17, while the Men’s and Women’s Hockey World Cups begin on August 14 in Belgium and the Netherlands. India’s men have already qualified, but the women must secure their spot through qualifiers in March.
Bhubaneswar will host the World Athletics Continental Tour (August 22), and September will feature the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan (September 19 – October 4), where medals in hockey and shooting could earn Olympic qualification. The Diamond League Finals in Brussels (September 4-5) and the 46th Chess Olympiad in Tashkent will also take place.
October – December
The year ends with several major world championships. Wrestling’s World Championships will be in Bahrain (October 24), followed by the Weightlifting World Championships in China (October 27 – November 8). Shooters will compete for Olympic quota spots at the ISSF World Championship in Doha starting November 1.
The World Chess Championship will conclude the year, though dates and venue are yet to be finalized.
Events Yet to Be Scheduled
Neeraj Chopra’s NC Classic, which debuted in Bengaluru in July 2025, is expected to return in 2026 as an annual event, though exact dates are yet to be announced.
