Olympic Council of Asia director general Husain Al-Musallam says an evaluation committee will not even begin visiting bidding nations until 2027, with India named among six contenders
The Olympic Council of Asia said on September 18, 2026 that a decision on India's bid to host the 2038 Asian Games will not be made before 2028, according to reports in The Bridge and DT Next. OCA Director General Husain Al-Musallam said the council has received interest from six nations in total, naming India and the Philippines among them and calling the response evidence of "the popularity of the Asian Games."
India is bidding through Ahmedabad, the Gujarat city already confirmed to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and separately in the running for the 2036 Olympics, The Sports Tak reported.
According to The Bridge and DT Next, an OCA evaluation committee will visit all bidding countries in 2027 and submit an initial report. Based on that report, the OCA will draw up a shortlist of contenders.
A second round of visits is planned nine to ten years before 2038 -- placing it around 2028 to 2029 -- after which the evaluation committee will submit a final recommendation report to determine the host, the outlets reported.
OCA evaluation committee visits every bidding nation and files an initial report, per The Bridge and DT Next.
The OCA narrows the field of six bidders using findings from that initial report.
A second round of visits, nine to ten years before 2038, precedes a final recommendation report.
Ahmedabad's bid has already cleared an earlier procedural step. The OCA Executive Board "welcomed" the Indian Olympic Association's official bid to host the 2038 Games in Ahmedabad at its meeting in April 2026, according to the OCA's own website. The board then formed an inspection and evaluation committee of international and Asian experts tasked with assessing the city's sports infrastructure, venues, logistics, operational planning and financial provisions.
That committee's technical report was slated for discussion at the OCA Executive Board's meeting in Nagoya, Japan in September 2026, held alongside the ongoing 20th Asian Games, per the OCA's statement.
The Sports Tak reported that South Korea, the Philippines and Mongolia are among the nations competing with India for the 2038 hosting rights, with Al-Musallam citing four other bidders beyond India and the Philippines without naming all of them.
A Wikipedia tracking page on the bid process, compiled from OCA and national federation announcements, lists South Korea's joint Gwangju-Daegu "Dalbit Alliance" bid launched in 2021, Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar bid submitted in April 2026, and Vietnam's Hanoi bid signalled in May 2026, alongside preliminary interest from Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur.
Gwangju and Daegu launched a joint "Dalbit Alliance" bid in 2021, the earliest of the current contenders.
Manila is bidding to host, 72 years after the country last staged the Asian Games in 1954.
Ulaanbaatar submitted its bid in April 2026, per Wikipedia's tracking of OCA and federation statements.
The Sports Tak noted that the 2038 Asian Games bid comes as India simultaneously pursues hosting rights for the 2036 Olympics and prepares to stage the 2030 Commonwealth Games -- both also centred on Ahmedabad.
India has hosted the Asian Games twice before, both times in New Delhi: the inaugural 1951 edition and the 1982 Games, according to The Sports Tak.
The Olympic Council of Asia says no decision will come before 2028, since its evaluation committee does not begin visiting bidding countries until 2027.
Ahmedabad, the same city set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, is India's proposed host city for the 2038 Asian Games.
The OCA has confirmed six bidders in total, including India and the Philippines, with South Korea and Mongolia also reported as contenders.
Yes. An OCA inspection and evaluation committee reviewed Ahmedabad's infrastructure and readiness after the board welcomed India's bid in April 2026, with a technical report discussed at the OCA's September 2026 meeting in Nagoya.
Yes, India hosted the Asian Games twice, both in New Delhi, in 1951 and 1982.