The 20th Asian Games were held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Forty-five national Olympic committees took part, according to the Olympic Council of Asia. China topped the medal table again. This page is a recap written after the Games closed. For events still ahead, see the sports travel calendar.
Key takeaways
- 19 September to 4 October 2026.
- China first again: 169 golds.
- Host Japan second with 261 medals.
- Doha hosts the 21st Games in 2030.
Final medal table
China topped the medal table for the 12th Asian Games in a row. It was China's record gold haul at an Asian Games held outside China, according to the OCA's report of the Chinese delegation's figures.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 169 | 89 | 83 | 341 |
| 2 | Japan | 83 | 95 | 91 | 261 |
| 3 | Korea | 39 | 43 | 68 | 150 |
The MVPs
The OCA named two MVPs on the final day.
- Yu Zidi (China, swimming) won the women's 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley. She set three Games records, and her 2:06.10 in the 200m individual medley was also an Asian record.
- Puripol Boonson (Thailand, athletics) won the 100m in a Games record of 9.90 seconds and the 200m in 19.88, which equalled the Asian record. He also won silver in the mixed 4x100m relay.
Two finals the host crowd watched
Korea beat Japan 1-0 in the men's football final at Toyota Stadium on 3 October, in front of more than 30,000 people. That was Korea's fourth Asian Games gold in a row, per the OCA match report.
On the same day, Japan beat defending champions China 10-5 in the women's rugby sevens final at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Rugby Field, reported by the OCA.
The closing ceremony and Doha 2030
The Games closed on 4 October at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. The OCA flag passed to Qatar, whose capital Doha hosts the 21st Asian Games in 2030, according to the OCA's closing report.
Going to Aichi or Nagoya anyway?
Japan is a single-country trip, so one Japan eSIM covers it. On 8 November 2026, a Japan plan with 5GB for 15 days cost from $4.95 USD and 10GB for 15 days from $7.95. The price depends on which network the plan runs on. If Japan is one stop on a longer trip, the Asia-Pacific plan covers 12 countries on one eSIM.
Our take: for a fortnight of moving between venues or cities on Japanese rail, size the plan at 10GB or more rather than 5GB. Mobile tickets, live timetables and translation apps run all day.
Japan data from $4.95 USD
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Methodology
How we did this comparison
This is a recap written after the Games closed. We did not publish a guide before the event. Dates, the number of national Olympic committees, results, MVPs and the final medal table come from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Games page and its news reports, read on 8 November 2026. The medal table is OCA's report of the Chinese delegation's figures, published through Xinhua.
Lotsotravel prices come from our live v3 product API (/api/v3/products?country=JP), read on 8 November 2026. We quote the VIP price, which is what you pay when you arrive through a link on this blog, and fixed-data plans only. Which Japanese network a plan runs on depends on the plan; the API listed NTT DoCoMo, SoftBank and KDDI on that date. We did not run speed tests at any Games venue.
Sources & references
We verify carrier and regulator pricing directly from primary sources before publishing. Pricing is current as of the article's last update — always confirm rates on the carrier's site before you travel.
- Aichi-Nagoya 2026 — Games page (dates, host, NOCs) — Olympic Council of Asia
- China turns attention to LA28 after Asian Games success (6 October 2026) — Olympic Council of Asia
- OCA announces Asian Games MVPs: Yu Zidi, Puripol Boonson (4 October 2026) — Olympic Council of Asia
- OCA President closes 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 (4 October 2026) — Olympic Council of Asia
- Eom hits winner as Korea retain men's football gold (3 October 2026) — Olympic Council of Asia
- Japan beat defending champions China to earn women's rugby sevens gold (3 October 2026) — Olympic Council of Asia
About the author
Lotsotravel Team
Edited by Cho Yin Yong and Mahmoud Halat
The Lotsotravel team writes guides and cost comparisons for international travelers. Carrier prices are read from each carrier's own page, eSIM prices come from our live catalogue, and posts list the sources they rely on and the date they were last updated.
Last updated: November 8, 2026