# Women's Asian Champions Trophy returns to Bhopal from November 19
_India will defend the title they won in 2016, 2023 and 2024._

- Publisher: Apex Sports News (https://apexsportsnews.in)
- Canonical URL: https://apexsportsnews.in/news/women-s-asian-champions-trophy-returns-to-bhopal-from-november-19
- Author: Rohit, Sports writer (https://apexsportsnews.in/author/rohit)
- Published: 2026-11-12T13:20:26.552Z
- Section: Hockey
- Topics: Hockey India, India women's hockey, Bhopal, Women’s Asian Champions Trophy
## Summary

International women's hockey returns to Bhopal for the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2026. Six teams will compete in a round-robin format from November 19 to 28.

## Key takeaways

- The tournament takes place in Bhopal from November 19 to 28.
- India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea will compete.
- India are defending champions and three-time winners.
- India opens against Malaysia on November 19.

## Article

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey has welcomed the return of international women’s hockey to Bhopal ahead of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2026, which is scheduled to take place in Bhopal from November 19 to 28.

Six teams—India, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea—will compete for the continental title. The tournament will follow a round-robin format, with each team playing every other team once. The top four teams from the league stage will advance to the semi-finals.

The News Mill reported the development based on an ANI release.

## Tirkey on Bhopal’s hockey heritage

Mr Tirkey highlighted that hosting the tournament after several years would help revitalise the sport’s popularity in the region and encourage the emergence of more local players in the future. “A tournament is being held in Bhopal after many years.

There was a time when Bhopal had a strong domestic hockey culture, and many players emerged from the city… An international women’s hockey match is also being held in Bhopal after several years.

This is a good development, as hockey is being revived in cities where the sport was once popular. This will help more players from these regions emerge in the future,” Mr Tirkey said.

## India’s record and Asian Games context

The tournament holds special significance for the Indian women’s hockey team as it marks their first international competition following their historic gold medal victory at the Asian Games in Japan last month. India enters the event as defending champions and three-time winners, having claimed the title in 2016, 2023 and 2024. The Indian team aims to secure a third consecutive title and continue their success in the competition.

## India’s opening fixtures

Opening day fixtures on November 19 will feature China facing Thailand, while India will begin their campaign against Malaysia, a match to be preceded by the opening ceremony. India will subsequently play South Korea on November 21, Thailand on November 22, China on November 24 and Japan on November 25.

### India's group stage fixtures

| Date | Opponent |
| --- | --- |
| November 19 | Malaysia |
| November 21 | South Korea |
| November 22 | Thailand |
| November 24 | China |
| November 25 | Japan |

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### Sources

- [thenewsmill.com](https://thenewsmill.com/2026/11/hockey-india-welcomes-return-of-international-womens-hockey-to-bhopal/)
- [devdiscourse.com](https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/sports-games/4005843-hockey-is-being-revived-in-cities-where-sport-was-once-popular-tirkey-welcomes-return-of-womens-hockey-to-bhopal)
- [Photo: 10302144, Pixabay Content License (Pixabay)](https://pixabay.com/photos/sport-field-hockey-game-players-5253088/)
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Source: Apex Sports News, https://apexsportsnews.in/news/women-s-asian-champions-trophy-returns-to-bhopal-from-november-19. Please cite and link the original article when quoting.