How to watch kabaddi at Asian Games 2026 in India
Kabaddi at the Asian Games 2026 begins on September 21 at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in Japan, and viewers in India can watch the matches live on the Sony Sports Network and stream them on SonyLIV. The tournament opens with group-stage action before progressing to knockout rounds later in the week.
India enter the competition as the defending champions in both men’s and women’s events; the men have won eight of the nine previous editions while the women have claimed three of four. Both Indian teams failed to win in 2018 when Iran took gold in both categories, but India regained continental supremacy in the 2022 edition. Other teams that have strengthened in recent years include Iran, South Korea, Bangladesh and the Chinese Taipei women’s side.
Sony has the Indian broadcasting and streaming rights for the Asian Games 2026. Sony Sports 1 and Sony Sports 5 will carry live telecasts in English, Sony Sports 3 will also broadcast matches in English, and Sony Sports 4 will provide commentary in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Matches will be available on the SonyLIV digital platform via its application and website, with livestreams of all India matches confirmed for the platform throughout the games.
India’s men’s side arrived at this cycle on the back of the 2025 Kabaddi World Cup in Wolverhampton, where they beat hosts England in the final by 3 points. The Indian women won the 2025 women's world cup in Dhaka, defeating Chinese Taipei 35-28; that tournament was the first women’s world cup in thirteen years.
Across Asian Games history, India has accumulated a record 13 kabaddi medals, including 11 gold. The 11 gold medals comprise eight in the men’s division and three in the women’s division, reflecting the country’s sustained success in the sport at the continental level.
The match schedule is set with the preliminary round running from September 21 to 24, semi-finals on September 25 and the gold medal match on September 26; all matches will be held at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium. For fans in India wanting live coverage, Sony Ten sports channels and the SonyLIV service are the official broadcast and streaming options for the event.