Football at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 runs from 14 September to 3 October 2026 across Japan. There are two tournaments, a men’s under-23 competition and a women’s senior competition, bringing 18 nations to seven stadiums in six cities. This page is the hub for both: full schedules, groups, standings, the knockout bracket, venues, and the medal winners once they’re decided. It will be updated throughout the tournament.
Men’s football will be played across Osaka, Toyota, Nagoya and Kariya, while the women’s event will be played in Osaka, Fukuroi, Gifu and Kariya.
Football at Asian Games 2026: Quick facts
- Event: Football at the 20th Asian Games (Aichi-Nagoya 2026)
- Host country: Japan
- Dates: 14 September – 3 October 2026
- Teams: 15 men’s, 12 women’s (18 nations in total)
- Venues: 7 stadiums across 6 host cities
- Men’s final: Toyota Stadium, 3 October 2026
- Women’s final: Shizuoka Stadium (Fukuroi), 2 October 2026
- Defending champions: South Korea (men), Japan (women)
- All match times: Japan Standard Time (JST / UTC+9)
When is the football at Asian Games 2026?
The women’s tournament kicks off first on 14 September, with the men’s competition starting a day later on 15 September. Both follow a group stage into a knockout bracket, quarter-finals, semi-finals, a bronze-medal match and the gold-medal final.
- Women’s gold-medal match: 2 October, Shizuoka Stadium (Fukuroi)
- Men’s gold-medal match: 3 October, Toyota Stadium
Kick-off times and venue allocations were revised in the run-up to the Games. The dates below are confirmed; always verify exact times on the official results portal before travelling.
How the tournament works
The men’s event is an under-23 competition, with places decided through the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup pathway, so expect the next generation of Asian talent rather than full senior sides. The women’s event is a senior international tournament, tied to the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup pathway, meaning several first-choice national teams take part.
Teams are drawn into groups, play a round-robin, and the top finishers advance to the knockout rounds. In football, matches decided in extra time count as wins or losses, while matches settled on penalties are recorded as draws.
In both, teams play a round-robin group stage; the top finishers advance to the knockout rounds. For the record, matches decided in extra time count as wins or losses, while matches settled on a penalty shoot-out are recorded as draws.
- Men (15 teams, 4 groups): the top two from each group reach the quarter-finals (eight teams). Group D has only three teams following Iraq’s withdrawal.
- Women (12 teams, 3 groups): the top two from each group, plus the two best third-placed teams, make up an eight-team knockout field.
Asian Games 2026 – men’s football schedule
All times are local Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9).
| Date | Time (JST) | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 September | 15:30 | Uzbekistan vs Philippines – Group C | Nagoya, Minato Soccer Field |
| 15 September | 19:00 | Vietnam vs Kuwait – Group C | Nagoya, Minato Soccer Field |
| 15 September | 19:30 | Qatar vs Republic of Korea – Group D | Nagoya |
| 16 September | 14:00 | United Arab Emirates vs Islamic Republic of Iran – Group B | Kariya |
| 16 September | 16:00 | Thailand vs Kyrgyzstan – Group A | Toyota |
| 16 September | 19:00 | People’s Republic of China vs Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – Group B | Kariya |
| 16 September | 19:30 | Japan vs Hong Kong, China – Group A | Toyota |
| 18 September | 15:30 | Philippines vs Vietnam – Group C | Nagoya, Minato Soccer Field |
| 18 September | 19:00 | Kuwait vs Uzbekistan – Group C | Nagoya, Minato Soccer Field |
| 18 September | 19:30 | Saudi Arabia vs Qatar – Group D | Nagoya |
| 20 September | 14:00 | Islamic Republic of Iran vs People’s Republic of China – Group B | Kariya |
| 20 September | 16:00 | Hong Kong, China vs Thailand – Group A | Toyota |
| 20 September | 19:00 | Democratic People’s Republic of Korea vs United Arab Emirates – Group B | Kariya |
| 20 September | 19:30 | Kyrgyzstan vs Japan – Group A | Toyota |
| 22 September | 14:00 | Vietnam vs Uzbekistan – Group C | Nagoya, Mizuho Park Rugby Field |
| 22 September | 14:00 | Philippines vs Kuwait – Group C | Nagoya, Minato Soccer Field |
| 22 September | 19:00 | Republic of Korea vs Saudi Arabia – Group D | Nagoya |
| 23 September | 14:30 | People’s Republic of China vs United Arab Emirates – Group B | Toyota |
| 23 September | 14:30 | Islamic Republic of Iran vs Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – Group B | Kariya |
| 23 September | 19:30 | Japan vs Thailand – Group A | Toyota |
| 23 September | 19:30 | Kyrgyzstan vs Hong Kong, China – Group A | Kariya |
| 25 September | 14:00 | Group C winners vs Group D runners-up | Nagoya |
| 25 September | 19:30 | Group D winners vs Group C runners-up | Nagoya |
| 26 September | 15:00 | Group B winners vs Group A runners-up | Toyota |
| 26 September | 19:30 | Group A winners vs Group B runners-up | Toyota |
| 30 September | 15:00 | TBC vs TBC – Semi-final | Osaka |
| 30 September | 19:30 | TBC vs TBC – Semi-final | Osaka |
| 3 October | 15:00 | TBC vs TBC – Bronze medal | Toyota |
| 3 October | 19:30 | TBC vs TBC – Gold medal | Toyota |
Asian Games 2026 women’s football schedule
All times are local Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9).
| Stage | Date | Time (JST) | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group E | 14 September | 16:00 | Chinese Taipei vs Vietnam | Shizuoka |
| Group E | 14 September | 19:30 | Japan vs Thailand | Shizuoka |
| Group E | 17 September | 16:00 | Thailand vs Chinese Taipei | Shizuoka |
| Group E | 17 September | 19:30 | Vietnam vs Japan | Shizuoka |
| Group E | 21 September | 19:30 | Japan vs Chinese Taipei | Shizuoka |
| Group E | 21 September | 19:30 | Vietnam vs Thailand | Nagai |
| Group F | 14 September | 16:00 | Democratic People’s Republic of Korea vs Bangladesh | Nagai |
| Group F | 14 September | 19:30 | Republic of Korea vs Myanmar | Nagai |
| Group F | 17 September | 16:00 | Bangladesh vs Republic of Korea | Nagai |
| Group F | 17 September | 19:30 | Myanmar vs Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | Nagai |
| Group F | 21 September | 16:00 | Republic of Korea vs Democratic People’s Republic of Korea | Shizuoka |
| Group F | 21 September | 16:00 | Bangladesh vs Myanmar | Nagai |
| Group G | 14 September | 14:00 | Philippines vs Uzbekistan | Gifu |
| Group G | 14 September | 19:00 | China vs Hong Kong, China | Gifu |
| Group G | 17 September | 14:00 | Uzbekistan vs China | Gifu |
| Group G | 17 September | 19:00 | Hong Kong, China vs Philippines | Gifu |
| Group G | 21 September | 16:00 | China vs Philippines | Gifu |
| Group G | 21 September | 16:00 | Uzbekistan vs Hong Kong, China | Kariya |
| Quarter-final | 25 September | 15:00 | Group F winners vs Group E runners-up | Shizuoka |
| Quarter-final | 25 September | 19:30 | Group E winners vs Group F/G third-place team | Shizuoka |
| Quarter-final | 25 September | 15:00 | Group G winners vs Group E/F third-place team | Nagai |
| Quarter-final | 25 September | 19:30 | Group F winners vs Group G winners | Nagai |
| Semi-final | 29 September | 15:00 | TBC vs TBC | Shizuoka |
| Semi-final | 29 September | 19:30 | TBC vs TBC | Shizuoka |
| Bronze medal | 2 October | 15:00 | TBC vs TBC | Shizuoka |
| Gold medal | 2 October | 19:30 | TBC vs TBC | Shizuoka |
Asian Games 2026 – men’s and women’s football groups
All teams of football are divided into groups, below is the complete football groups for both Men’s and Women’s football team.
Men’s football: teams and groups
Fifteen nations contest the men’s tournament. South Korea arrive as defending champions after winning gold in 2022. The draw produced four groups:
- Group A: Japan (hosts), Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, Hong Kong
- Group B: People’s Republic of China, Islamic Republic of Iran, United Arab Emirates, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Group C: Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Kuwait
- Group D: Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
Group D contains only three teams after Iraq’s withdrawal ahead of the draw. Hosts Japan, 2022 finalists, and a strong Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia are among the sides expected to push South Korea for the title.
Women’s football: teams and groups
Twelve nations feature in the women’s tournament, with hosts Japan defending the gold they won in 2022. The three groups are:
- Group E: Japan (hosts), Chinese Taipei, Vietnam, Thailand
- Group F: South Korea, North Korea, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- Group G: China, Philippines, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong
Japan, North Korea, China and South Korea are the traditional powers, so the group draw sets up several high-stakes clashes on the road to the final.
Venues
Seven stadiums across six cities host the football, spanning the Chūbu and Kansai regions:
- Toyota Stadium, Toyota — men’s final (cap. ~45,000)
- Shizuoka Stadium (Ecopa), Fukuroi — women’s final (cap. ~50,889)
- Nagai Stadium, Osaka (cap. ~47,853)
- Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium, Gifu (cap. ~26,109)
- Paloma Mizuho Park Rugby Stadium, Nagoya
- Nagoya City Minato Soccer Field, Nagoya
- Wave Stadium Kariya, Kariya
Defending champions and recent history
At the last edition (Hangzhou 2022, played in 2023), the medals finished as follows:
- Men: Gold — South Korea, Silver — Japan, Bronze — Uzbekistan
- Women: Gold — Japan, Silver — North Korea, Bronze — China
Both champions return to defend their titles in Japan. South Korea go again in the men’s under-23 event; Japan’s women start as favourites at home, with North Korea and China the main obstacles.
Results and medal winners
Results for every match — group stage and knockout — will be added here as they finish, along with the final medal winners once the two gold-medal matches are played on 2 and 3 October. The fastest live source is the official portal at results.asiangames2026.org.
Medal table (football) — to be completed:
| Tournament | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | — | — | — |
| Women | — | — | — |
How to watch football at Asian Games 2026
Live scores, fixtures and results for every match are published on the official Asian Games 2026 results portal. Broadcast rights are sold region by region, so the channel or streamer showing the football depends on where you are — check your national Asian Games rights holder or a licensed regional streamer for confirmed listings closer to kick-off.
All times on this page are Japan Standard Time (UTC+9), so convert to your local time zone when planning which matches to watch.
Frequently asked questions
When does football start at the Asian Games 2026?
The women’s tournament begins on 14 September 2026 and the men’s tournament on 15 September 2026.
Who are the defending football champions?
South Korea are the men’s defending champions and Japan are the women’s defending champions.
Is the men’s tournament a senior competition?
No — the men’s event is an under-23 competition, while the women’s event is a senior international tournament.
Where are the finals played?
The men’s final is at Toyota Stadium on 3 October, and the women’s final is at Shizuoka Stadium on 2 October.
Sources & updates
Schedule, groups, venues and format are drawn from the official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 draw (23 July 2026) and results portal, cross-referenced with the Olympic Council of Asia, Olympics.com and AFC. Historical results are from the official Asian Games records. Results, standings and the medal table on this page are updated from the official Aichi-Nagoya 2026 feed during the competition.
iSportsLeague is an independent sports information site and is not affiliated with the Olympic Council of Asia, the AFC or the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Organising Committee. For official confirmations — especially kick-off times, which were revised close to the Games — always refer to the organising committee.
Last updated: 14 September 2026.
