The World Wrestling Championships 2026 will get underway on October 24 in Astana, Kazakhstan, and run until November 1
Sujeet Kalkal will compete in the men's freestyle 65kg category on October 29, with the medal bouts scheduled for October 30
Matches are scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM IST onwards. Check the full schedule on the official UWW website
Sujeet Kalkal will headline India's 30-member contingent at the World Wrestling Championships 2026 in Astana, Kazakhstan, as the Asian Games gold medallist looks to claim his first senior world title.
The championships begin on October 24 and conclude on November 1, with India fielding 10 wrestlers each in men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman.
India will enter the competition without several established names, including Olympic medallist Aman Sehrawat, two-time World Championships bronze medallist Antim Panghal and Olympian Deepak Punia.
Their absence places greater responsibility on the remaining squad, particularly Sujeet, whose recent international performances have made him one of India's strongest medal prospects.
The 23-year-old arrives after winning gold at the Asian Games, Asian Championships and U23 World Championships. He will compete in the men's freestyle 65kg category, where a strong international field awaits him.
Here is everything you need to know about India's squad, the full schedule and live-streaming details for the World Wrestling Championships 2026.
World Wrestling Championships 2026: Dates, Venue And Format
The Senior World Wrestling Championships 2026 will take place at the Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan, from October 24 to November 1.
The competition will feature 30 weight categories across men's freestyle, women's freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, with 10 divisions in each discipline. India have selected one wrestler for every weight category.
The tournament opens with Greco-Roman wrestling before moving to women's freestyle and men's freestyle. Each category will feature qualification bouts, semi-finals and medal rounds, with repechage opportunities for eligible wrestlers.
Sujeet Kalkal Headlines India's Challenge
Much of India's attention will centre on Sujeet, who has emerged as one of the country's leading wrestlers in men's freestyle. The former U23 world champion has enjoyed an impressive run of results, collecting titles across major international competitions.
At the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Sujeet defeated Japan's reigning Olympic champion Kotaro Kiyooka in the semi-finals. He then produced a remarkable recovery in the final against Tajikistan's Abdulmazhid Kudiev.
Trailing 9-2, Sujeet fought back with a series of takedowns to win 10-9 and secure the Asian Games gold medal.
The victory added another major achievement to a season that has also included titles at the Asian Championships, the Muhamet Malo tournament in Tirana and the Zagreb Open.
Sujeet is reported to have won 23 consecutive matches heading into the world meet. However, the challenge in Astana will be considerably different, with several of the world's leading wrestlers expected to compete.
Iran's Rahman Amouzad, the reigning world champion, will be among the major names in the 65kg division. Amouzad defeated Sujeet 6-5 in the quarter-finals of the 2025 World Championships in Zagreb before going on to win the title.
Sujeet will now have an opportunity to settle that score and translate his recent success into a senior world championship medal.
His preparations, however, have not been entirely smooth. Speaking to Sportstar, the Indian wrestler acknowledged that public appearances following his Asian Games triumph had affected his training schedule.
"After the Asian Games, my training hasn't been as good as I would have liked. At most, I can do the morning training session, two hours from 5 am After that, I'm almost always called to a function or programme. I've never trained both times of the day like I was before the Asian Games," Sujeet told Sportstar.
The disruption could make the task more demanding, particularly against a field featuring established world champions and rising international contenders.
World Wrestling Championships 2026: Who Are The Big Names Missing From India’s Squad?
India's campaign will be without three prominent wrestlers who have featured prominently in recent international competitions.
Olympic bronze medallist Aman Sehrawat, who won gold at the 2026 Asian Games, has withdrawn while managing shoulder and ankle injuries. Rahul has been selected to replace him in the men's freestyle 57kg category.
Antim Panghal will also miss the championships. The two-time World Championships bronze medallist won bronze at the 2025 edition and was India's only medallist at that year's global competition.
She subsequently claimed silver at the 2026 Asian Games. Nishu will represent India in the women's freestyle 53kg division in her absence.
Olympian Deepak Punia is another notable absentee. He has withdrawn because of a shoulder injury, further reducing India's options in the men's freestyle competition.
Greco-Roman: Nitesh Siwach And Sunil Kumar Lead The Charge
India will look to Nitesh Siwach and Sunil Kumar to spearhead the Greco-Roman campaign after their medal-winning performances at the Asian Games.
Nitesh captured silver in the 97kg category in Aichi-Nagoya, ending India's 64-year wait for an Asian Games silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Sunil, meanwhile, won bronze in the 87kg division and became the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to claim two Asian Games medals.
Their experience will be important as India look to challenge the leading nations in a discipline where the country has historically found international podium finishes difficult to secure.
In the women's competition, Manisha Bhanwala will be one of India's key names. The former Asian champion brings international experience to a squad that will also be looking to make an impression across the remaining weight categories.
Five wrestlers from India's 15-member Asian Games wrestling contingent have been selected for the world championships: Sujeet Kalkal, Sagar Jaglan, Manisha Bhanwala, Sunil Kumar and Nitesh Siwach.
India Squad For World Wrestling Championships 2026
Women's Freestyle
Neelam (50kg), Nishu (53kg), Ahilya S. Shinde (55kg), Neha Sharma (57kg), Manisha Bhanwala (59kg), Neha (62kg), Rajnita (65kg), Srishti (68kg), Tanu Sharma (72kg), Kajal (76kg).
Men's Freestyle
Rahul (57kg), Nikhil (61kg), Sujeet Kalkal (65kg), Vishal Kaliraman (70kg), Sagar Jaglan (74kg), Sourabh Yadav (79kg), Pushpender Dalal (86kg), Sachin (92kg), Vicky (97kg), Jaspooran Singh (125kg).
Greco-Roman
Lalit (55kg), Harsh (60kg), Sahil (63kg), Sachin Sahrawat (67kg), Karanjit Singh (72kg), Lovepreet Singh (77kg), Prince (82kg), Sunil Kumar (87kg), Nitesh Siwach (97kg), Joginder Rathee (130kg).
World Wrestling Championships 2026: Full Schedule
The matches are scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM IST onwards. Check the full schedule on the official UWW website.
October 24, Saturday
Greco-Roman 55kg, 60kg, 77kg and 82kg qualification
Greco-Roman 55kg, 60kg, 77kg and 82kg semi-finals
October 25, Sunday
Greco-Roman 55kg, 60kg, 77kg and 82kg repechage; 72kg, 97kg and 130kg qualification
Greco-Roman 72kg, 97kg and 130kg semi-finals
Greco-Roman 55kg, 60kg, 77kg and 82kg finals
October 26, Monday
Greco-Roman 72kg, 97kg and 130kg repechage; 63kg, 67kg and 87kg qualification
Greco-Roman 63kg, 67kg and 87kg semi-finals
Greco-Roman 72kg, 97kg and 130kg finals
October 27, Tuesday
Greco-Roman 63kg, 67kg and 87kg repechage
Women's freestyle 50kg, 57kg, 65kg and 76kg qualification
Women's freestyle 50kg, 57kg, 65kg and 76kg semi-finals
Greco-Roman 63kg, 67kg and 87kg finals
October 28, Wednesday
Women's freestyle 50kg, 57kg, 65kg and 76kg repechage; 53kg, 62kg, 68kg and 72kg qualification
Women's freestyle 53kg, 62kg, 68kg and 72kg semi-finals
Women's freestyle 50kg, 57kg, 65kg and 76kg finals
October 29, Thursday
Women's freestyle 53kg, 62kg, 68kg and 72kg repechage; 55kg and 59kg qualification
Men's freestyle 65kg and 97kg qualification
Women's freestyle 55kg and 59kg semi-finals;
Men's freestyle 65kg and 97kg semi-finals
Women's freestyle 53kg, 62kg, 68kg and 72kg finals
October 30, Friday
Women's freestyle 55kg and 59kg repechage
Men's freestyle 65kg and 97kg repechage; 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg qualification
Men's freestyle 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg semi-finals
Women's freestyle 55kg and 59kg finals
Men's freestyle 65kg and 97kg finals
October 31, Saturday
Men's freestyle 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg repechage; 57kg, 74kg, 79kg and 92kg qualification
Men's freestyle 57kg, 74kg, 79kg and 92kg semi-finals
Men's freestyle 61kg, 70kg, 86kg and 125kg finals
November 1, Sunday
Men's freestyle 57kg, 74kg, 79kg and 92kg repechage
Men's freestyle 57kg, 74kg, 79kg and 92kg finals
When Will Sujeet Kalkal Be In Action At World Wrestling Championships 2026?
Sujeet Kalkal will compete in the men's freestyle 65kg category on October 29, with the semi-finals scheduled for the same day. The medal bouts will take place on October 30.
World Wrestling Championships 2026: Live Streaming
The World Wrestling Championships 2026 will be available to watch live on UWW+, the official streaming platform of United World Wrestling.
