The 2026 Asian Games return to Japan this September bigger than ever, with several sports making their debut at the 20th milestone edition.

More than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries will compete at the world’s second-largest multisport event.

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Japan will play host for the third time, following Tokyo 1958 and Hiroshima 1994, which saw their biggest medal haul of 218 medals.

Here’s everything to know about the quadrennial continental event:

When and where are the games taking place?

Officially known as Aichi-Nagoya 2026, the games will be held in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture and city of Nagoya from September 19 until October 4, although the football and basketball competitions have already begun.

The record-breaking programme will be held across 54 competition venues, including some like the Tokyo Aquatics Centre and Equestrian Park used for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

What sports are being played, and which make their debut?

A total of 43 sports will be played across 71 disciplines and 469 events.

Six sports make their Asian Games debut: surfing, freestyle BMX, mixed martial arts, padel, teqball, and virtual taekwondo.

The full list features: artistic swimming, archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, 3×3 basketball, boxing, breaking, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cricket, cycling (road), cycling (track), mountain bike, BMX racing, BMX freestyle, diving, equestrian, esport, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (artistic), gymnastics (rhythmic), gymnastics (trampoline), handball, hockey, judo, ju-jitsu, kabaddi, karate, kurash, mixed martial arts, pentathlon, padel, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, sepak takraw, shooting, skateboarding, softball, surfing, squash, swimming, sport climbing, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, soft tennis, triathlon, volleyball, beach volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu.

When is the opening ceremony?

The opening ceremony will take place at the Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya from 6pm local time (09:00 GMT).

The torch relay was inaugurated in Nagoya on August 22 by three-time Olympic wrestling gold medallist Saori Yoshida and it will light the cauldron at the opening ceremony on September 19 after visiting 40 municipalities in Nagoya.

Where will the athletes stay?

The conventional athletes’ village has been replaced with local hotels, temporary wooden huts, and a cruise liner, which organisers say is safe, cost-effective and comfortable.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 athletes will stay on Italian cruise ship Costa Serena, which features 571 cabins, seven swimming pools, eight restaurants and nine bars. A further 2,000 athletes and officials will stay in wooden shipping container-style huts in Nagoya’s Garden Pier area while the rest will stay in hotels.

Why is there a growing accommodation crisis?

Athletes arriving in the industrial city have been met with an accommodation shortage, less than optimal conditions and an approaching typhoon.

Last week, hundreds of athletes were briefly evacuated from their accommodation as record rainfall lashed Nagoya. Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa said the extensive flooding left the athletes unharmed, adding:  “We are not worried about the conditions of the venues, and we believe there is no problem holding the Asian Games as planned.”

But the accommodation crisis has gone from bad to worse in a matter of days. Complaints ranged from undersized beds and cramped conditions to male and female athletes being assigned the same room, which has led to the host Japan team looking at alternative arrangements.

Transportation mishaps have also been reported; South Korea’s men’s football team was taken to the baseball stadium instead, resulting in a 30-minute delay in their training session.

Local organisers have said the strain on accommodation arose because they were expecting 15,000 people – including athletes and officials – for the Games, but numbers increased to more than 17,000 as new sports were added.

Do the games serve as qualifiers for LA28?

Yes, the 2026 Asian Games double as a qualifying event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics for a handful of sports.

In hockey, the winning men’s and women’s teams will directly qualify for the Olympic Games. Should they already qualify by winning the FIH Pro League, the spot will go to the next best team.

In squash, which makes its Olympic debut in 2028, the men’s and women’s gold medal winners qualify directly for one of 16 spots at the Olympics. Granted, the players must also feature in the Top 50 PSA rankings as of May 22, 2028.

The highest-ranked surfer per gender at the Asian Games will qualify for the Olympics through the continental quota.

Other sports which double as Olympic qualification include archery, sailing, tennis, and triathlon.

Which nation has been the most successful in Asian Games history?

China has been a dominant force at the games, topping the medal standings every year since 1982. At the Hangzhou 2023 games, the People’s Republic finished with 383 medals (201 gold, 111 silver, and 71 bronze).

That’s more than double the 188 medals won by second-place Japan, which has consistently shared a podium finish alongside South Korea.

Kazakhstan, Iran, India, Indonesia (host of the 2018 edition), Uzbekistan and Thailand have regularly finished in the top 10 medal standings.