Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2026: India To Open Campaign Against Malaysia In Bhopal - Check Schedule

In pursuit of a third consecutive Asian Champions Trophy crown, the Indian women's hockey team will open its campaign by taking on Malaysia when the six-nation tournament kicks off on November 19 in Bhopal.

The event will be staged at Bhopal's new hockey stadium at the International Sports Complex in Nathu Barkheda, featuring India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea.

It would be the Indian women's hockey team's first international assignment following a historic gold medal triumph at the Asian Games in Japan last month.

The hosts will enter the competition as three-time winners, having lifted the title in 2016, 2023 and 2024.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team facing the other five teams once. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will advance to the semi-finals.

The opening day on November 19 will feature Asia's top-ranked team China taking on Thailand in the tournament-opener.

India will begin their campaign against Malaysia in a match preceded by the opening ceremony on the same day.

The hosts will subsequently face South Korea on November 21, Thailand on November 22, China on November 24 and Japan on November 25.

November 20, 23 and 26 have been designated as rest days, Hockey India stated in a press release.

The classification match for fifth and sixth place, followed by the two semi-finals, will take place on November 27.

The tournament will conclude on November 28 with the bronze-medal match and the final.

"The Madhya Pradesh Women's Asian Champions Trophy Bhopal 2026 will be a great opportunity to celebrate the growing strength of women's hockey in Asia," said Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey.

"I am delighted that Bhopal will host six competitive teams, and I look forward to seeing our Indian team build on its recent Asian Games success and defend its title."

Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh added, "Coming on the back of India's historic Asian Games gold medal, this tournament will be an important opportunity for our players to carry forward that momentum.