Both the Indian men's and women's hockey teams open their Asian Games 2026 campaigns on Sunday, 21 September at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara, Japan, with Olympic qualification hanging over every match. The men face Indonesia in a Pool A opener at 11:30 AM IST, while the women take on Uzbekistan in Pool B at 7:30 AM IST — both sides carrying the weight of contrasting World Cup campaigns into the continental showpiece.

Gold at the Asiad, a ticket to Los Angeles

The stakes at these Games extend well beyond the continental title. Asian Games gold medallists in hockey earn automatic berths for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — a prospect that will sharpen focus for both Harmanpreet Singh-led men and the Salima Tete-led women's squad throughout the tournament. For the men, who are the reigning two-time Olympic bronze medallists, securing that LA ticket early would ease the pressure of a qualification campaign still to come.

Men's team: recovering from a World Cup low

The Indian men's team arrives in Kakamigahara with a point to prove. A disappointing eighth-place finish at the World Cup 2026 — failing to advance past the pool stage to the semifinals — made it one of the more sobering results in recent memory for a side that is a four-time Asian Games gold medallist, having lifted the title in 1966, 1998, 2014 and most recently 2022.

Head coach Craig Fulton addressed the World Cup fallout directly. 'These are lessons, and the only way to treat them as lessons learned is to turn that learning into action. That's what we've got to do now. We've discussed everything, gone through everything and highlighted areas needing improvement. At the same time, it's now about action,' Fulton said, as quoted by Hockey India.

In Pool A, India are grouped alongside Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The sternest tests will come against South Korea — also a four-time gold winner at the Asiad — and Japan, the 2018 Asian Games champion.

Women's team: building on a historic World Cup run

The Indian women's team brings considerably more momentum into the Asiad. At the World Cup 2026, they finished fifth — their best result in 52 years — a performance coach Marijne described as 'remarkable and historical.' Yet he was equally clear that dwelling on it would be a mistake. 'We did something remarkable and historical, but we have to move on to the next tournament… You have to close a chapter before you move to the next one,' Marijne said.

The women's team won their only Asian Games gold in 1982 and claimed a bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. They famously reached fourth place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics but failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Games — a setback that makes the LA qualification pathway at these Games especially significant.

In Pool B, India face Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore. The path to gold, however, runs through China — a four-time Asian Games champion, the defending Asiad title-holder, and the reigning Olympic silver medallist.

Match schedule for India's openers

The women's team opens against Uzbekistan on Sunday at 7:30 AM IST at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. The men's team follows against Indonesia at 11:30 AM IST at the same venue. Both results will set the tone for what promises to be a high-stakes campaign with Olympic places on the line.