The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has officially released its 2026 competition calendar, laying out a tightly structured domestic season that will determine India’s athletics squads for two of the biggest multi-sport events of the year the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya.
The calendar, announced on Monday, maps out everything from early-season cross country and indoor meets to the crucial federation and inter-state championships that will act as final Olympic-style selection trials.
For Indian athletes, this is no ordinary schedule. It is a qualification gauntlet every meet, every jump, and every lap now directly tied to whether they make the biggest teams of their careers.
Commonwealth Games selection: Ranchi holds the key
The most important domestic meet of the year for Commonwealth Games hopefuls will be the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition, to be held in Ranchi from May 22 to 25. AFI has confirmed that this meet will serve as the final selection trial for CWG 2026.
The 23rd Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2, and India is permitted to send a maximum of 32 athletes, with 16 women and 16 men. AFI senior vice-president Anju Bobby George made it clear that selection will be extremely strict.
“As per protocol of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, the number of participants in the athletics contingent can’t exceed 32, including 16 female athletes,” she said at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram.
Unlike Birmingham 2022 where India sent 37 athletes and won eight medals, including gold through Eldhose Paul in the men’s triple jump and silver by Avinash Sable in the 3000m steeplechase the Glasgow edition will feature fewer track and field events. That further compresses India’s quota and raises the cut-off for qualification. AFI has also ruled that only athletes who meet the prescribed qualification standards in May will be considered for CWG selection. This means Ranchi will be a make-or-break moment for India’s elite.
Asian Games: Bhubaneswar becomes the final battleground
For athletes targeting the Asian Games in Aichi–Nagoya (September 19 to October 4), the decisive meet will be the National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships, scheduled in Bhubaneswar from June 24 to 28.
AFI has added an important eligibility clause: To compete at the Inter State Championships and at the National Open Championships athletes must take part in at least three competitions, including their respective state meets.
This move is designed to ensure athletes are active through the domestic season and not just parachuting into one or two major trials.
AFI’s layered qualification system
The 2026 calendar is designed around graduated competition exposure: Early season testing through Cross Country, Race Walking, Throws, Jumps and 400m meets, National Indoor Championships in March then Indian Athletics Series meets across multiple cities along with Federation Cup and Inter State Championships as the main selection gates and National Open and U23 events for late bloomers and development athletes
To even reach the Federation Cup, athletes must compete in at least two AFI-listed meets, creating a baseline participation requirement before selection trials even begin.
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AFI has also confirmed India’s participation in the World Relays in Botswana in May, with the selection trials to be held during the 3rd National Open Relay Competition on March 28 in Chandigarh. According to Anju Bobby George, foreign teams are also expected to compete in Chandigarh, giving Indian relay squads valuable international race experience before the global meet.
A calendar that covers every athlete pathway
The AFI 2026 calendar is one of the most comprehensive in Indian athletics history, stretching from January to October and covering every competitive level from juniors to seniors, indoor to outdoor, state to international standard.
Key highlights include:
- National Cross Country Championships – January 24, Ranchi
- National Indoor Championships – March 24–25, Bhubaneswar
- National Junior Championships – April 24–26, Bengaluru
- Federation Cup (CWG trials) – May 22–25, Ranchi
- Inter State Championships (Asian Games trials) – June 24–28, Bhubaneswar
- National Open Championships – October 8–11, New Delhi
- U23 Championships – October 16–18, Jaipur
Between these anchors lie 16 Indian Athletics Series meets, scattered across Bengaluru, Udaipur, Ranchi, Chennai, Pune, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram, Ludhiana, Kolkata and more designed to give athletes multiple chances to hit qualifying marks.
The message from AFI is unmistakable: there is no shortcut to selection in 2026.
With CWG and Asian Games just weeks apart, athletes must manage form, fitness, and timing across a dense competitive season. One bad meet in May or June could end an entire campaign.
But for those who peak at the right moment, the calendar offers something rare in Indian sport a transparent, merit-based road to two major global championships.
The season is long. The stakes are high.
And for Indian athletics, 2026 is officially underway.
