Asian Games 2026: Pakistan sends 246 to Japan in 23 sports, Arshad Nadeem leads hopes

Pakistan's biggest multi-sport trip of the year starts this week. The 2026 Asian Games run from 19 September to 4 October in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, with 469 medal events across 43 sports. Pakistan is sending athletes in 23 sports, and chef de mission Fatima Lakhani flies out on 16 September.

The numbers

• Dates: 19 September to 4 October 2026
• Opening ceremony: 19 September at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, 6pm to 8pm Japan time (2pm to 4pm in Pakistan)
• Pakistan's squad: 234 athletes and team officials plus 12 contingent officials, 246 people in all, according to the Pakistan Olympic Association list reported by The Express Tribune
• Sports: 23
• Last time (Hangzhou, held in 2023): 3 medals, no gold (1 silver, 2 bronze), Pakistan's lowest Asian Games haul

Pakistan is 4 hours behind Japan, so a 6pm session in Nagoya starts at 2pm in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad.

Who is going

The 23 sports are athletics, badminton, boxing, cricket, equestrian, esports, fencing, hockey, kabaddi, mixed martial arts, rowing, sailing, shooting, soft tennis, squash, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, volleyball, wrestling and wushu.

Names to know include Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem, tennis veteran Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi, and squash players Hamza Khan and Noor Zaman. Pakistan also has its first triathletes at the Games, including Anisha Ali from Gilgit-Baltistan.

Fatima Lakhani, senior vice-president of the POA, is the first woman to lead a Pakistan contingent at the Asian Games. She named athletics, kabaddi, cricket, squash, shooting, hockey, volleyball and boxing as the sports where Pakistan has medal chances.

Arshad Nadeem is the favourite

A Reuters preview of athletes to watch says Nadeem starts as the clear favourite in the javelin after India's Neeraj Chopra was ruled out. The athletics programme runs 23 to 29 September. The competition schedule lists javelin qualifying on 25 September and the final on 28 September; check the official timetable closer to the day, as session times can move.

Cricket and hockey dates

Women's cricket: Pakistan, led by Fatima Sana, play Thailand in the quarter-final on 17 September at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin. The semi-finals are on 20 September and the medal matches on 22 September. Pakistan won gold in 2010 and 2014 and finished fourth in 2022.

Men's cricket: The event runs 24 September to 3 October. Pakistan, captained by Sahibzada Farhan, go straight into the quarter-finals and meet the Group B runner-up on 28 September. Semi-finals are on 1 October, medal matches on 3 October.

Men's hockey (Pool B):

The top two in each pool reach the semi-finals on 1 October, and the final is on 3 October.

What it means for you

• Watching: with Japan 4 hours ahead, most morning sessions in Nagoya fall between 5am and 9am in Pakistan, and evening finals in the afternoon here.
• Travelling to support the team: if you are budgeting for Japan, convert your rupees with our currency converter before you buy yen, and compare the rate your bank quotes.
• Following the cricket: our preview of the women's quarter-final is here.

The bar is low after Hangzhou. Three medals was the worst return Pakistan has had, so a gold from Nadeem and podiums in squash, kabaddi and hockey would mark a clear recovery.