VedTimes.com | Sports Desk
Womens Asian Champions Trophy 2026: The Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) has announced the match schedule for the Madhya Pradesh Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Bhopal 2026.
The tournament will run from November 19 to 28 at the newly built hockey stadium in Bhopal’s International Sports Complex, Nathu Barkheda.
6 teams will compete for the continental title.
They include hosts India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea.
The tournament marks India’s first international assignment since their historic gold medal victory at the Asian Games in Japan last month.
The Indian women’s team will enter the competition as defending champions.
India have won the Asian Champions Trophy three times, in 2016, 2023 and 2024.
The hosts will now aim for another title and a third consecutive championship victory.
India Begin Campaign Against Malaysia
India will open their campaign against Malaysia on November 19.
The organisers will hold the opening ceremony before the match.
China, Asia’s top-ranked team, will face Thailand in the tournament opener.
The opening day promises an exciting start to the competition.
India will play five league matches under the round-robin format.
Their remaining opponents include South Korea, Thailand, China and Japan.
India’s Match Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| November 19 | Malaysia |
| November 21 | South Korea |
| November 22 | Thailand |
| November 24 | China |
| November 25 | Japan |
November 20, 23 and 26 will serve as rest days.
Semi-Finals on November 27, Final on November 28
Each team will face the other five teams once during the league stage.
The top four sides will qualify for the semi-finals.
The organisers have scheduled the fifth-place classification match and both semi-finals for November 27.
The tournament will conclude on November 28.
The bronze-medal match will precede the grand final.
Bhopal Ready to Host Asia’s Top Teams
The tournament will bring some of Asia’s leading women’s hockey players to Bhopal.
The new stadium at Nathu Barkheda will provide the venue for the continental competition.
Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey welcomed the announcement.
He described the tournament as an opportunity to celebrate the growing strength of women’s hockey in Asia.
He also expressed confidence in India’s ability to build on its Asian Games success.
Tirkey said he looked forward to seeing the hosts defend their title.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh also highlighted the importance of the competition.
He said the tournament would help Indian players carry forward their Asian Games momentum.
Singh thanked the Madhya Pradesh Government for its support.
He also welcomed the participating teams, officials and hockey fans to Bhopal.
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