India host Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, England and nine others at the Veer Savarkar Stadium from 21 to 31 October, in a tournament aimed at the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Fourteen nations will contest the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship 2026, which runs from 21 to 31 October at the Veer Savarkar Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) announced the tournament after India won gold in both the men’s and women’s kabaddi events at the 2026 Asian Games. It is being treated as a test run for the sport’s hopes of a place on the programme when Ahmedabad hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2030.
Hosts India are joined by teams from Asia, Africa, Oceania, North America and the British Isles. The Asian group comprises India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda come from Africa, while Australia, Canada, England and Scotland complete the field.
India have been tasked with hosting the next edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2030, which Khel Now described as the centenary edition. The Veer Savarkar Stadium, the venue for this month’s championship, is set to host that event four years from now.
The Indian Olympic Association has requested that kabaddi be included as a main event on the 2030 programme. Khel Now described this debut championship as both an appeal letter and a test run for that request. That gives the 11 days of competition a purpose beyond the medals: the organisers will be showing how the sport, and the venue, handle an international event with a broad Commonwealth field.
Australia will enter the tournament with their newly launched AusKabaddi team. According to Khel Now, the launch reflects major momentum for kabaddi in the country, and the championship will be the new side’s first appearance on this stage.
Bangladesh, described by Khel Now as a strong force in international kabaddi, are expected to arrive as serious contenders. The outlet pointed to an impressive performance in Dhaka as the basis for that confidence.
The hosts will not be fielding the squad that won gold at the Asian Games in Japan. AKFI has announced 17 probable players for the practice camp ahead of the championship, and it left out all 12 players who travelled to Japan and won the gold medal.
The decision means India will put a different set of players in front of home fans in Ahmedabad, with the final squad to be drawn from those 17 camp probables. With India the strongest name on the list and playing at home, how this new group performs will shape much of the attention the tournament receives.
The championship opens on Wednesday, 21 October, and concludes on Saturday, 31 October, at the Veer Savarkar Stadium. Details of the format and fixture schedule had not been published in the reporting available at the time of writing.
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