165 UAE athletes set to compete at 2026 Asian Games
The UAE is preparing one of its largest sporting delegations for the 20th Asian Games, with 165 athletes set to represent the country in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, this September.
The national team will include 117 male and 48 female athletes, competing across 23 sports and disciplines as the Emirates looks to strengthen its presence on one of Asia’s biggest sporting stages.
The Games will run from September 19 to October 4, 2026, bringing together more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries.
UAE to compete across 23 sports
The UAE delegation will take part in a wide range of events, including athletics, swimming, taekwondo, football, cycling, fencing, golf, shooting, judo, boxing, karate and weightlifting.
Athletes will also compete in equestrian sports, rowing, sailing, archery, triathlon, rugby, esports and jiu-jitsu.
For the first time in UAE Asian Games history, the country will also be represented in modern pentathlon and padel tennis.
The two debuts underline the growing range of sports in which Emirati athletes are now competing internationally.
More than 11,000 athletes heading to Japan
Aichi–Nagoya 2026 will feature 43 sports and 71 disciplines, with a total of 1,407 medals available across 469 events.
Over 16 days, more than 11,000 athletes will be joined by around 6,000 coaches and officials from across Asia.
For the UAE, the event represents another opportunity to build on a medal history that began at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.
The UAE Olympic Committee says preparations are focused on giving athletes the strongest possible conditions to compete at their best.
Football campaign begins early against Iran
The UAE men’s national football team will begin its Asian Games campaign before the official opening ceremony.
The team will face Iran on September 16 after being drawn in Group B alongside China, DPR Korea and Iran.
Football will be one of the most closely watched disciplines for the UAE delegation, but the country will also enter the Games with medal ambitions across individual and combat sports where Emirati athletes have established a strong international presence.
Building on previous Asian Games achievements
UAE Olympic Committee Secretary General Faris Mohammed Al Mutawa said the Asian Games remain an important part of the country’s continued development on the continental and Olympic stages.
The objective is not only to compete, but to build on achievements from previous editions and provide athletes with further high-level international experience.
Dr Nasser Al Tamimi, board member of the UAE Olympic Committee and chairman of its Technical Committee, also highlighted the importance of the Games as a major milestone for UAE sport.
Preparations have involved close coordination between the Olympic Committee and individual sporting federations to ensure athletes are ready technically, administratively and logistically.
UAE also preparing for Dakar 2026
The Asian Games will not be the only major international event on the UAE sporting calendar this year.
The country is also preparing to send 15 athletes — nine male and six female — to the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, which will take place from October 31 to November 13.
The UAE delegation will compete across 10 sports, including athletics, archery, triathlon, boxing, equestrian, swimming, fencing, cycling, judo and badminton.
Dakar 2026 will be particularly significant as it becomes the first Olympic sporting event hosted on the African continent.
Continuing the UAE’s Youth Olympic journey
The UAE has participated in every edition of the Youth Olympic Games since the inaugural event in Singapore in 2010.
The country later competed in Nanjing in 2014 and Buenos Aires in 2018.
It was in Buenos Aires that the UAE secured its first Youth Olympic medal, when equestrian rider Omar Al Marzouqiwon silver in show jumping.
The Dakar Games will feature around 2,700 athletes competing across 25 sports and 151 events in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
A major autumn for UAE sport
With 165 athletes heading to Japan and another 15 preparing for Dakar, the coming months will give a new generation of UAE athletes significant exposure to international competition.
The scale of the Asian Games delegation also reflects the continued expansion of the country’s sporting ambitions.
From established disciplines such as jiu-jitsu, equestrian sport and shooting to new Asian Games appearances in padel and modern pentathlon, the UAE is entering Aichi–Nagoya 2026 with one of its broadest sporting programmes yet.
The goal will now be to translate that growing presence into performances — and medals — on the continental stage.
