India’s men play Japan in the final of the Asian Champions Trophy 2026 at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, 5 November, at 7pm IST. Harmanpreet Singh’s side have won all six of their matches so far, including an 8-1 semi-final win over South Korea, and are chasing a record-extending sixth title. Two weeks later, India’s women defend their own title in Bhopal.
This page covers both events: results, the standings, India’s record in the competition and the women’s schedule. We update it after each India match.
Asian Champions Trophy 2026: key facts
| Men’s event | 27 October to 5 November 2026. League stage in Jalandhar, semi-finals and medal matches in Mohali |
| Men’s teams | India, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, China, Bangladesh |
| Men’s final | India vs Japan, Mohali, 5 November, 7pm IST |
| India men | Captain Harmanpreet Singh, coach Craig Fulton. Defending champions |
| Women’s event | 19 to 28 November 2026, International Sports Complex, Nathu Barkheda, Bhopal |
| Women’s teams | India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea |
| India women | Hosts and defending champions |
Men’s final: India vs Japan
Result to follow. The final starts at 7pm IST on 5 November in Mohali. We will add the result and match report here after full time.
Japan reached the final the hard way. They drew 0-0 with Malaysia in the second semi-final and won the shootout 5-3. In the league stage they finished second, with three wins, a draw and a defeat.
Semi-final: India 8-1 South Korea
India took South Korea apart in Mohali on Wednesday, 4 November, to reach their third straight Asian Champions Trophy final. Shilanand Lakra scored twice in the first 15 minutes, Harmanpreet added a drag-flick from a penalty corner, and India led comfortably by half-time. Korea’s only goal came from Han Sangjun in the first quarter.
India’s eight goals were shared between six players:
| Player | Goals |
|---|---|
| Shilanand Lakra | 2 |
| Dilpreet Singh | 2 |
| Harmanpreet Singh | 1 |
| Sukhjeet Singh | 1 |
| Angad Bir Singh | 1 |
| Vivek Sagar Prasad | 1 |
In the classification match for fifth place, China beat Bangladesh 3-1.
Men’s league standings
All six teams played each other once in Jalandhar from 27 October to 2 November. The top four went through to the semi-finals.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 | 15 |
| 2 | Japan | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| 3 | Malaysia | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 12 | 9 |
| 4 | South Korea | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 6 |
| 5 | China | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 15 | 2 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 26 | 1 |
India opened with a 13-0 win over Bangladesh on 27 October and never dropped a point. Their 34 goals in five league games were more than Japan, Korea and China managed together (29).
India’s record in the men’s Asian Champions Trophy
India are the most successful team in the competition’s history, with five titles. One more would make it six, and a third in a row.
| Year | Result for India |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Champions |
| 2016 | Champions |
| 2018 | Joint champions with Pakistan (final abandoned because of rain) |
| 2023 | Champions (hosts, Chennai) |
| 2024 | Champions (beat China 1-0 in the final) |
| 2026 | Finalists, final on 5 November |
Pakistan are next with three titles, one of them the shared 2018 trophy.
Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026, Bhopal
The women’s event runs from 19 to 28 November at Bhopal’s new hockey stadium at the International Sports Complex in Nathu Barkheda. Six teams play each other once, and the top four reach the semi-finals. India are the hosts and defending champions, and have won the title three times: in 2016, 2023 and 2024.
India’s women’s schedule
| Date | Match |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 19 November | India vs Malaysia (after the opening ceremony) |
| Saturday, 21 November | India vs South Korea |
| Sunday, 22 November | India vs Thailand |
| Tuesday, 24 November | India vs China |
| Wednesday, 25 November | India vs Japan |
| Friday, 27 November | Semi-finals and fifth-place match |
| Saturday, 28 November | Bronze medal match and final |
The tournament opens with China vs Thailand on 19 November. Rest days are 20, 23 and 26 November. Match times have not yet been announced, and we will add them when they are.
KhelGossip’s view: the scorers matter more than the scorelines
An 8-1 semi-final and a 13-0 opener are big numbers, but the more useful sign for India is who scored them. Six different players found the net against South Korea, and five of them are not specialist drag-flickers. For years India have relied heavily on Harmanpreet’s penalty corners. A side that can score from open play is much harder to stop in a final.
The note of caution is the opposition. Only Japan finished the league stage within five points of India, and they took a draw and a shootout to reach the final. The real tests for this team come against Europe’s best and Australia, not in Asia. Winning here is expected; how India win is what the selectors should be watching.
For India’s other big events this season, see our India at the Asian Para Games 2026 page.
Updated 5 November 2026, before the men’s final. Main sources: reports from The Tribune, and ANI.
