Afghanistan at Asian Games 2026: Wushu and Kurash Lead a Combat-Sports Core

Afghanistan returns to Aichi-Nagoya carrying a rare team-sport breakthrough — a cricket silver — alongside its long-running strength in wushu and kurash.

30th at 2023 Hangzhou Games

5 Total Medals in 2023

Cricket Auto-Qualified for 2026

30th

Finish at 2022/23 Hangzhou Games

Total Medals in 2023

35th

Finish at 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games

Total Medals in 2018

Afghanistan’s Asian Games Track Record

Afghanistan’s medal count more than doubled between 2018 and 2023. Hangzhou’s haul included a historic cricket silver for the men’s team (a direct qualifier with no individual roster yet named), a taekwondo bronze for Mohsen Rezaee (58kg), two wushu sanda bronzes — Khalid Hotak (70kg, a repeat medalist from 2018) and Nasratullah Habibi (75kg) — and a kurash bronze for Baiqara Rasooli (81kg). The 2018 bronzes came from Khalid Hotak (wushu sanda, 65kg) and Mansour Sarwari (kurash, +90kg).

Edition	Rank	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
2018 Jakarta-Palembang	35th	0	0	2	2
2022/23 Hangzhou	30th	0	1	4	5

Source: Afghanistan at the 2018 Asian Games and Afghanistan at the 2022 Asian Games, Wikipedia.

Afghanistan’s Strongest Sports

Wushu (specifically sanda) and kurash form the backbone of Afghanistan’s Asian Games program, having produced medals across both the last two editions. Taekwondo and cricket are newer, emerging medal sources, with cricket in particular offering Afghanistan’s highest-profile team result to date after the men’s team’s 2023 silver.

Afghanistan’s Official Squads by Sport

Afghanistan’s sporting landscape carries an unusual complication for 2026: a dispute between rival National Olympic Committee structures. Here’s what’s been reported.

Confirmed via official federation/media sources

Sport	Key Named Athletes	Status
No individually named 2026 Afghanistan athletes have been officially confirmed yet.

Reported but not yet formally finalized

Sport	Notes
Cricket	Men’s team auto-qualified as an ICC Full Member; no individual squad named yet
Taekwondo	Ehsan Rahimi (54kg) and Ali Akbar Amiri (+87kg) competed at a Mongolia-hosted qualifying event, a plausible but unconfirmed lead into the 2026 squad

Team confirmed, no roster yet / not found

Sports
Wushu, Kurash, Judo, Athletics

Note on sourcing: Afghan sport currently has a contested governance structure — a Taliban-backed National Olympic Committee, whose delegations have been all-male, alongside an exiled pre-Taliban NOC that says it intends to send women athletes. Independent reporting (including RFE/RL) has covered the dispute; this page reports it factually and does not attempt to resolve or take a side in it. No comprehensive individual roster for either structure has been confirmed for 2026 as of this writing.

Storylines to Watch

A governance dispute overshadowing the squad: which National Olympic Committee structure Afghanistan competes under — and whether women athletes are included — remains an open and closely watched question heading into 2026.

Cricket’s historic silver: the men’s team will look to build on 2023’s breakthrough medal now that Afghanistan is an established ICC Full Member and direct qualifier.

Combat-sports continuity: Khalid Hotak, a two-time wushu sanda medalist across 2018 and 2023, is a name to watch if he returns for a third Games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Afghanistan perform at the last Asian Games?

Afghanistan finished 30th at the 2022/23 Hangzhou Asian Games with 0 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals — 5 total, more than double its 2-medal haul from 2018.

What is Afghanistan’s strongest sport at the Asian Games?

Wushu (sanda) and kurash, both of which have produced medals in each of the last two editions. Cricket and taekwondo are newer, emerging medal sources.

Has Afghanistan’s 2026 Asian Games roster been announced?

No individually named roster has been officially confirmed yet. Afghan sport also faces a contested governance situation between rival National Olympic Committee structures heading into the Games.