We are finally here to welcome 2026. As the new year is a few hours away, there is curiosity among everyone about what kinds of sports competitions will be held in the new year.
In 2026, major global sporting events, from the Football and Cricket World Cups to multi-sport events, will be organized worldwide.
Likewise, in Asia, the 20th Asian Games, regarded as Asia’s Olympics, will also be held this year. Multi-sport events such as the Commonwealth Games are also scheduled for the same year.
Major events like the FIFA World Cup football tournament, and the ICC T20 World Cup cricket, along with various other international tournaments of different sports held annually, will continue.
The year 2026 will also be significant for Nepali sports.
Although Nepal will not be playing in the FIFA World Cup, it will be participating in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup this year. This will be Nepal’s third appearance in the T20 World Cup. Similarly, Nepal will participate in various sports at the Asian Games, aiming to win medals.
While Nepal will play in the Cricket World Cup in 2026, in football it is scheduled to play only the SAFF Championship. The major sports tournaments in which Nepal will participate in 2026 are as follows:
ICC T20 World Cup
The 10th edition of the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, with a total of 20 teams, including Nepal.
Since associate nations will get the opportunity to play against Test nations in the T20 World Cup, the tournament will be important for smaller nations and emerging teams like Nepal.
Nepal will be playing the T20 World Cup for the second consecutive time and the third time overall. Nepal made its World Cup debut at the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. Last year, Nepal also played in the T20 World Cup held in the United States and the West Indies.
Nepal has been placed in Group C of the World Cup, where it will face three Test nations, England, West Indies, and Bangladesh, along with Italy, which has qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time. England and West Indies are former champions. While Nepal has previously played T20 internationals against West Indies and Bangladesh, this will be Nepal’s first encounter with England and Italy.
Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier
At the very beginning of 2026, Nepal will host an important tournament, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.
This will be the biggest tournament ever held in the history of Nepali women’s cricket and also the largest cricket event hosted by Nepal so far. Previously, Nepal had hosted the Asia regional qualifiers for the men’s T20 World Cup, but this will be the first time Nepal is hosting a global qualifier for any World Cup.
The Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in England and Wales in 2026 will also be determined through this Global Qualifier, where 10 nations, including Nepal, will compete. Nepal’s women’s team secured a place in the Global Qualifier for the first time by finishing among the top two in the Asia regional qualifiers.
Matches of the qualifier will be played at the TU International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur and the Upper Mulpani Cricket Ground.
In the Global Qualifier, Bangladesh, Ireland, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, and the United States are in Group A, while host Nepal is placed in Group B along with the Netherlands, Scotland, Thailand, and Zimbabwe.
Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games
One of the biggest sporting events Nepal will take part in during 2026 will be the 20th Asian Games.
Nepal will participate in the 20th Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games, to be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
Under “Mission 2026,” special training programs in various sports are being conducted with the goal of winning double-digit medals, including at least one gold.
Recently, due to disputes related to the Olympic Committee in Nepal, uncertainty remains over how many athletes Nepal will send and in how many sports. However, Nepal has registered 32 sports for participation in the Asian Games.
Winter Olympics / Winter Paralympics
The Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics will also be held in 2026. The Winter Olympics will take place from February 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
A total of 16 winter sports will be included, with an estimated 3,000 athletes from 90 countries participating.
From Nepal, it has not yet been decided which athletes will compete in which events. Since qualification is required, no Nepali athletes have qualified so far.
Similarly, the Winter Paralympics will be held in Italy from March 6 to 15, featuring six para sports.
Asian Beach Games
The sixth Asian Beach Games will also be held this year, from April 22 to 30 in Sanya, China, featuring competitions in 14 sports.
All 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia are expected to participate.
The first edition of the Asian Beach Games was held in Bali, Indonesia, in 2008 and was organized every two years thereafter. Although the fifth edition was held in 2016, the Games could not be organized afterward.
The Asian Beach Games scheduled for 2020 could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a gap of a decade, the Games are being held again. The Nepal Olympic Committee has stated that Nepal will participate in both the Asian Beach Games and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.
Dakar Youth Olympics 2026
The Youth Olympic Games will also be held this year. The Dakar Youth Olympics 2026 will take place in Senegal from October 31 to November 13.
The Nepal Olympic Committee has confirmed that Nepal will also participate in the Dakar Youth Olympics.
The Youth Olympic Games began in Singapore in 2010. The fourth edition is set to be held in Senegal. The second edition was held in Nanjing, China, and the third edition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2019.
Although the fourth edition was originally scheduled for 2022, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CAVA Club Volleyball in the Maldives
In volleyball, Nepal Police Club will compete in the CAVA Women’s Club Championship at the beginning of the year. The CAVA Women’s Champions League will be held in Malé, Maldives, in February.
Earlier, the championship was scheduled to be held in Kathmandu in December. However, due to the Gen Z movement, international sporting events in Nepal were affected.
As a result, the CAVA Women’s Championship and the CAVA Women’s Champions League could not be held in Nepal.
