India does not have a single basketball team competing in the 5v5 or 3x3 categories at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
While the official dates for the 20th Asian Games are September 19 to October 4, basketball action has already tipped off. The men’s 5v5 competition began on September 10 and will run until the 26th; the women’s 5v5 tournament is slated from September 17–26, and the 3x3 events are from September 21–25.
Selection Criteria
In September 2025, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) announced eligibility guidelines for team sports at major multi-sport events, stating they must be placed “top 8 among Asian countries in international rankings” to be considered for participation.
When the basketball fixtures for the Asian Games were announced on August 7, the Indian men’s 5v5 team was ranked 13th in Asia, while the women were 12th.
In the 3x3 category, India’s men’s national federation ranking stood at 33rd, and the women came in at 35th.
Asian Games Rules vs India’s Eligibility Guidelines
The Olympic Council of Asia’s Games Manual & Guidelines simply state that participation is linked to a country’s membership of the OCA and compliance with the participation requirements.
The OCA guidelines do not prescribe any ranking-based threshold, whether for team or individual sports.
India, however, has adopted a higher ‘top 8 in Asia’ standard for approving teams’ entry at major international multi-sport events such as the Asian Games.
Exceptions allowed in justifiable cases
The Sports Ministry’s policy states that it may not approve nominations recommended by National Sports Federations when participation is viewed as being solely for exposure or participation rather than sporting excellence.
The policy allows exceptions when sports experts recommend participation for justifiable reasons. But no such exception was granted to India’s basketball teams for the 2026 Asian Games.
That said, it is worth noting that the men’s 3x3 national team was granted an exception to participate in the 2026 Asian Beach Games, held in Sanya, China, in April this year. After winning all three of their group games, they bowed out in the quarterfinals, losing to the Philippines.
Second Major Event Missed
Indian basketball teams’ Asian Games absence comes weeks after also failing to qualify for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The inability to secure participation in relatively smaller-scale international competitions like the CWG and Asian Games in 2026, gains added significance considering India Basketball’s stated ambition of qualifying for the 2028 Olympics, less than two years away.
According to BFI president Aadhav Arjuna, the country is looking to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the 3x3 category, and in both 5v5 and 3x3 at the 2032 Olympics.
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