The Indian men’s hockey team left for Japan on Tuesday evening, embarking on their campaign to defend the Asian Games gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
The hockey competition will be held in Kakamigahara, around 35 km from Nagoya, with India beginning its title defence against Indonesia on September 20.
Led by captain Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian side will look to put behind its disappointing eighth-place finish at the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in the Netherlands and Belgium last month and turn its attention to a much bigger prize — the Asian Games gold and a direct qualification berth for the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
India showed flashes of quality at the World Cup but lacked consistency at crucial moments, with closely fought matches ultimately hurting their campaign. The team will now be determined to draw lessons from that experience and produce a more assured and consistent showing in Japan.
The defending champions have been a dominant force in Asian hockey over the past decade, winning gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 and also lifting the Asia Cup. Another gold in Aichi-Nagoya would not only extend their continental supremacy but also secure India’s place at the 2028 Olympics.
“We don’t want to think too far ahead and will focus on one game at a time,” said India captain Harmanpreet. “There are no easy games because you want to play well consistently throughout the competition and not let up. The aim is to keep improving with every match and hit peak form when it matters the most during the knockout phase.”
Chief coach Craig Fulton will also expect his players to remain disciplined and focus on executing their plans rather than getting carried away by the prospect of the final outcome.
Four-time Asian Games champions India have been placed in Pool A alongside hosts Japan, South Korea, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. They will open their campaign against Indonesia on September 20 before taking on Bangladesh in their final pool match on September 28.
The semifinals are scheduled for October 1, with the final to be played on October 3.
With an Olympic qualification spot on the line, Harmanpreet and his teammates will be determined to rediscover their best form and return from Japan with a second successive Asian Games gold medal.
