Following Team Philippines at the Asian Games can get complicated very quickly.
One moment, you’re watching football. A few hours later, there’s basketball. Then swimming, gymnastics, boxing, weightlifting, athletics, jiu-jitsu, tennis, esports and dozens of other events are happening at the same time.
And there’s another thing that can be confusing this year: some Filipino athletes started competing even before the Opening Ceremony.
So I created this guide as a central schedule for Filipino fans who want to follow Team Philippines at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
The 20th Asian Games officially runs from September 19 to October 4, 2026 in Japan, but several competitions—including basketball, football, volleyball, shooting and teqball—started earlier. The Philippines is sending 464 athletes competing across 39 sports, making this one of the country’s biggest Asian Games delegations.
This article is updated based on schedules available as of September 18, 2026.
And yes, all times below are in Philippine time whenever a time is listed.
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Asian Games 2026 Team Philippines: Quick Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | 20th Asian Games |
| Host | Aichi-Nagoya, Japan |
| Official dates | September 19 to October 4, 2026 |
| Opening Ceremony | September 19 |
| Opening Ceremony Philippine time | 5:00 PM |
| Closing Ceremony | October 4 |
| Philippine delegation | 464 athletes |
| Sports entered by Team Philippines | 39 |
| Philippine flag bearers | Aira Villegas and Albert Ian delos Santos |
The Asian Games itself features 43 sports and 469 medal events. Japan is hosting the Asian Games for the third time after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
Boxing Olympic medalist Aira Villegas and weightlifter Albert Ian delos Santos have been selected to carry the Philippine flag during the Opening Ceremony.
Team Philippines Asian Games Schedule – Philippine Time
Here is the current day-by-day schedule involving confirmed Philippine team events and some of the most important competition dates.
Schedules can still change, especially once knockout rounds, draws, heats and qualification results are determined.
| Date | Team Philippines Schedule / Major Events |
|---|---|
| September 11 | Gilas Pilipinas Men vs Bahrain – Philippines lost, 85-89 |
| September 12 | Gilas Pilipinas Men vs Kazakhstan – Philippines won, 109-78 |
| September 14 | Gilas Pilipinas Men vs China – Philippines lost, 61-105; Filipinas vs Uzbekistan – 1-1 draw |
| September 15 | Men’s Football: Philippines vs Uzbekistan – Philippines lost, 1-5 |
| September 16 | Alas Pilipinas Women vs China; teqball competition underway |
| September 17 | Alas Women vs Kazakhstan; Gilas Women vs Kazakhstan; Filipinas vs Hong Kong; teqball |
| September 18 | Teqball mixed doubles; Men’s Football: Philippines vs Vietnam – 2:30 PM |
| September 19 | Asian Games Opening Ceremony – 5:00 PM PHT |
| September 20 | Gilas Pilipinas Women vs Hong Kong, China – 9:00 AM; swimming, badminton and other events underway |
| September 21 | Baseball vs Palestine – 11:00 AM; Men’s 3×3 vs Mongolia – 11:50 AM; Men’s 3×3 vs Sri Lanka – 1:55 PM; Filipinas vs China – 3:00 PM; artistic gymnastics and boxing action |
| September 22 | Baseball vs China – 11:00 AM; Women’s 3×3 vs Mongolia – 11:00 AM; Gilas Women vs Japan – 12:00 NN; Men’s Football vs Kuwait – 1:00 PM; Women’s 3×3 vs Macau, China – 1:05 PM |
| September 23 | Baseball vs Japan – 11:00 AM; weightlifting, esports, squash and other events |
| September 24 | Skateboarding park preliminaries; athletics and other competitions |
| September 25 | Skateboarding park finals; gymnastics competition continues |
| September 26 | Skateboarding street preliminaries; archery program underway |
| September 27 | Alas Pilipinas Men vs Korea – 12:00 NN; tennis begins; jiu-jitsu; skateboarding street finals |
| September 28 | Alas Pilipinas Men vs China – 12:00 NN; BMX racing and other events |
| September 29 | Alas Pilipinas Men vs Chinese Taipei – 12:00 NN; EJ Obiena men’s pole vault final; jiu-jitsu and weightlifting programs conclude |
| September 30 | Golf begins; judo begins; boxing semifinals |
| October 1 | Rhythmic gymnastics; judo; rugby sevens and golf continue |
| October 2 | Boxing finals; esports and other late-Games events |
| October 3 | Tennis final day; golf final round; judo, archery, taekwondo, wrestling and other medal events |
| October 4 | Final competitions and Asian Games Closing Ceremony |
The confirmed Philippine team-match times through September 29 come from the latest published Team Philippines schedule, while later dates depend heavily on qualification and individual-event draws.
September 18: Team Philippines Schedule Today
Before the official Opening Ceremony even takes place, Team Philippines already has athletes competing.
For September 18, the Philippines has mixed doubles action in teqball featuring Jhoana Abulencia and Prince Agustin, while the Philippine men’s football team faces Vietnam at 2:30 PM Philippine time.
This is one reason the Asian Games schedule may feel unusual.
The Opening Ceremony is September 19, but several sports started days earlier to accommodate lengthy tournament formats.
Asian Games Opening Ceremony – September 19
The Asian Games officially opens on Saturday, September 19.
The ceremony at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium is scheduled to start at 6:00 PM in Japan, which means:
5:00 PM Philippine time
Japan is one hour ahead of the Philippines.
Team Philippines will march during the Parade of Nations with Aira Villegas and Albert Ian delos Santos carrying the Philippine flag.
For many Filipino fans, this is where the Games officially begin.
But for a number of Philippine teams, the competition has already been underway for more than a week.
September 20: Gilas Women Return to Action
One of the first major Philippine events after the Opening Ceremony comes from Gilas Pilipinas Women.
The Philippines faces Hong Kong, China at:
September 20 – 9:00 AM Philippine time
Gilas Women opened their campaign with an impressive 86-58 victory over Kazakhstan on September 17. Elizabeth Means scored 23 points in her national-team debut, while Stefanie Berberabe contributed 11 points and eight assists.
Their preliminary-round schedule is:
| Date | Match | Philippine Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 17 | Philippines vs Kazakhstan | Finished – PH won 86-58 |
| September 20 | Philippines vs Hong Kong | 9:00 AM |
| September 22 | Philippines vs Japan | 12:00 NN |
The top teams advance to the knockout phase, so additional Philippine games will depend on the final group standings.
September 21 Could Be One of the Busiest Days for Filipino Fans
September 21 is when the Asian Games really starts becoming crowded from a Team Philippines perspective.
Baseball begins its group campaign against Palestine at 11:00 AM.
At almost the same time, Philippine men’s 3×3 basketball starts its tournament with matches against Mongolia and Sri Lanka.
Then at 3:00 PM, the Filipinas face China in their final scheduled group match in women’s football.
The Philippine artistic gymnastics campaign also falls within this part of the Games.
And that means one of the country’s biggest sports names enters the picture.
Carlos Yulo Asian Games Schedule
Carlos Yulo leads the Philippine men’s artistic gymnastics team alongside younger brother Karl Eldrew Yulo, Juancho Miguel Besana, Justine Ace de Leon and Zachary Cortins Nuñez.
The artistic gymnastics competition runs around September 21 to 25, with qualification and apparatus finals spread across several days at Nagoya City General Gymnasium’s Rainbow Hall.
Yulo enters the Asian Games as a two-time Olympic champion, making his appearance one of the most closely followed parts of the Philippine campaign.
The exact apparatus assignments and qualification times are important here because not every Filipino gymnast competes in every final.
Qualification results will determine which apparatus finals feature Philippine athletes.
So rather than assuming Carlos will compete every day, fans should check the final start lists once qualification begins.
Philippine Boxing Schedule
Boxing is another major part of the Philippine Asian Games campaign.
The competition runs from September 21 through October 2 at Nishio Gymnasium.
The Philippine squad includes established international boxers such as Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam and Aira Villegas.
The official boxing calendar spreads preliminary bouts across September 21 to 28, followed by semifinals on September 29 and 30 and gold-medal bouts on October 2.
That means Filipino boxers who continue advancing could appear several times throughout the tournament.
Exact opponents and fight times depend on the brackets.
Philippine Swimming Schedule
Swimming is scheduled from September 20 to 25.
Among the Filipino swimmers competing is Kayla Sanchez, along with Xiandi Chua, Teia Salvino, Miranda Renner, Heather White, Gian Santos and Logan Noguchi.
Because swimming features morning heats and later finals, the specific schedule for each Filipino swimmer depends on the events they entered and whether they advance from the preliminary rounds.
For Filipino fans following Sanchez and the rest of the Philippine swimming team, September 20 to 25 is the main period to monitor.
Weightlifting Schedule
Weightlifting takes place from September 23 to 29 at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center.
Team Philippines includes Albert Ian delos Santos, who is also one of the country’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers, as well as other members of the national weightlifting program.
The first weightlifting medal events begin September 23.
Individual Philippine competition times will depend on weight classes and whether an athlete is placed in Group A or Group B.
Skateboarding Schedule
The Asian Games skateboarding competition is relatively compact.
The official schedule is:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| September 24 | Park preliminaries |
| September 25 | Park finals |
| September 26 | Street preliminaries |
| September 27 | Street finals |
All four competition days are scheduled at Aichi Sky Expo.
The sport is worth following from a Philippine perspective, particularly with Filipino skateboarders continuing to compete internationally after the country’s breakthrough performances in Asian and Southeast Asian competitions.
EJ Obiena Asian Games Schedule
Filipino athletics fans should circle September 29.
EJ Obiena is scheduled to compete in the men’s pole vault final at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
The current detailed timetable places the event at approximately:
September 29 – around 4:35 PM Philippine time
The corresponding Japan time is around 5:35 PM.
Obiena enters Aichi-Nagoya as the defending Asian Games champion after winning gold in Hangzhou with a 5.90-meter clearance.
There are no preliminary rounds currently listed for the men’s pole vault, so the medal competition itself is the key date.
For Filipino athletics fans, September 29 is definitely one of the dates to remember.
Annie Ramirez and Philippine Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-jitsu takes place from September 27 to 29.
Annie Ramirez returns after winning Asian Games gold in Hangzhou, although she is entered in the women’s 52kg division this time.
The Philippine team also includes athletes across the men’s and women’s weight categories, including Kimberly Anne Custodio and Jenna Kaila Napolis.
Because jiu-jitsu events can progress from early rounds to medal bouts within the same day, precise Filipino match times will depend on the draw.
Alex Eala Asian Games Schedule
Alex Eala is another athlete Filipino fans will be watching closely.
Asian Games tennis is scheduled from:
September 27 to October 3
at Higashiyama Park Tennis Center in Nagoya.
Eala’s exact first-match time and opponent will depend on the official tennis draw and order of play.
There is another interesting scheduling situation here.
The Singapore Tennis Open runs immediately before the Asian Games tennis competition, so Eala’s arrival and first playing date in Japan will depend partly on her Singapore campaign.
What is confirmed is that she will represent the Philippines at the Asian Games and is skipping the overlapping China Open in Beijing.
Once the tennis draw is released, this section will become much easier to follow because we’ll know Eala’s path through the bracket.
Alas Pilipinas Men Schedule
The Philippine men’s volleyball team begins its preliminary campaign later in the Games.
The confirmed group schedule is:
| Date | Match | Philippine Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 27 | Philippines vs Korea | 12:00 NN |
| September 28 | Philippines vs China | 12:00 NN |
| September 29 | Philippines vs Chinese Taipei | 12:00 NN |
If the Philippines qualifies for the next phase, additional matches are scheduled in early October.
Philippine Baseball Schedule
The Philippine baseball team also has a demanding group.
Its confirmed preliminary schedule is:
| Date | Opponent | Philippine Time |
|---|---|---|
| September 21 | Palestine | 11:00 AM |
| September 22 | China | 11:00 AM |
| September 23 | Japan | 11:00 AM |
Further games from September 25 onward depend on whether the Philippines advances to the classification or medal rounds.
Filipinas Women’s Football Schedule
The Filipinas began their Asian Games campaign before the Opening Ceremony.
They opened with a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan on September 14 before defeating Hong Kong, 2-0, on September 17.
Their remaining scheduled group match is against China on September 21 at 3:00 PM Philippine time.
Qualification will determine whether the Philippine women’s team continues into the knockout rounds.
What Happened to Gilas Pilipinas Men?
One Team Philippines event that will not continue after the Opening Ceremony is men’s 5×5 basketball.
Gilas Pilipinas entered Aichi-Nagoya as the defending Asian Games champion but finished its preliminary campaign with a 1-2 record.
The Philippines lost to Bahrain, defeated Kazakhstan and then suffered a 105-61 defeat against China.
Because qualification involved both win-loss records and point differential among third-place teams, the 44-point loss to China eliminated the Philippines from the quarterfinals.
So there are no remaining Gilas Pilipinas men’s games on the Asian Games schedule.
Gilas Women, however, remains in competition.
Other Team Philippines Sports to Watch
Team Philippines is competing in far more events than the high-profile names above.
Across the Games, Filipino athletes are also entered in sports including archery, badminton, baseball, cycling, equestrian, esports, golf, judo, karate, mixed martial arts, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, sepak takraw, shooting, softball, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, wrestling, wushu and others.
A few important competition windows include golf from September 30 to October 3, archery from September 26 to October 3, judo from September 30 to October 3, esports from late September into October, and equestrian events extending through the final days of the Games.
Not every event has a Filipino athlete competing every day, though.
That’s why the daily Team Philippines schedule becomes more useful once official draws, qualification rounds and heat assignments are released.
Japan Time vs Philippine Time
Thankfully, following the Asian Games from the Philippines is much easier than watching events in Europe or the United States.
Japan is only one hour ahead.
So the conversion is simple:
| Japan Time | Philippine Time |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | 8:00 AM |
| 12:00 NN | 11:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
If an event is listed at 7:00 PM in Nagoya, Filipino viewers can watch it at 6:00 PM in the Philippines.
No staying awake until 3:00 in the morning this time.
Where to Watch Team Philippines at the Asian Games
Cignal is the official Philippine broadcaster of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Coverage is available through One Sports and One Sports+, while digital streaming options include Pilipinas Live and Cignal Play. Selected coverage and highlights may also appear through One Sports’ digital channels and official Asian Games platforms.
Because dozens of sports can happen simultaneously, not every Philippine event will necessarily appear on the same television channel.
For sports like swimming, gymnastics, athletics, boxing and tennis, checking the day’s broadcast schedule is especially useful.
Important Reminder About the Asian Games Schedule
This article should be treated as a working schedule.
Multi-sport events change constantly.
Some events do not have exact opponents until the draw is completed. Others depend on qualification. A Filipino athlete could have a morning preliminary round followed by an evening final. Team sports can gain additional matches after advancing from the group stage.
Even the official organizers note that competition schedules are subject to change.
So if you’re following one specific athlete—Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena, Alex Eala, Kayla Sanchez, Aira Villegas, Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, Annie Ramirez or anyone else—it’s worth checking again on the day of competition.
Team Philippines Asian Games 2026 Schedule: Dates to Remember
If you don’t want to remember everything, these are some of the biggest periods on the Philippine calendar: September 19 for the Opening Ceremony, September 20 onward for swimming and badminton, September 21 onward for Carlos Yulo and Philippine gymnastics and boxing, September 23 onward for weightlifting, September 24 to 27 for skateboarding, September 27 onward for Alex Eala and tennis as well as jiu-jitsu, September 29 for EJ Obiena’s pole vault final, and September 30 onward for golf, judo and several late-Games events.
Then everything wraps up on October 4 with the Closing Ceremony.
And with 464 Filipino athletes spread across 39 sports, there will be days when several Philippine events are happening almost simultaneously.
That makes this Asian Games particularly fun to follow.
You might start the morning watching swimming, switch to boxing in the afternoon, then finish the day with basketball, football or gymnastics.
For Filipino sports fans, the next couple of weeks are going to be busy.
Very busy.
But that’s also part of the fun of the Asian Games.
