The draws for the cricket events at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, have been confirmed. The women's competition will feature an eight-team knockout tournament, while the men's event will begin with a qualifying round involving six associate and lower-ranked teams split into two groups.
Notably, the women's cricket tournament will begin on September 17 and conclude with the medal matches on September 22. The men's T20 tournament will start on September 24 at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, with the gold medal match scheduled for October 3 to bring the cricket event to a close.
India to Face Hosts Japan in Women's Quarterfinal of 2026 Asian Games
Defending champions India will begin their title defence against hosts Japan in the women's quarterfinals at the 2026 Asian Games. The women's cricket event will be played in a knockout format. Every team must win three consecutive matches to claim the gold medal.
Bangladesh will take on the People's Republic of China in another quarterfinal after China secured qualification for the tournament. Sri Lanka will take on Malaysia in the knockout clash as both teams aim to book a place in the semifinals.
Pakistan will take on Thailand in the final women's quarterfinal. Thailand have been one of the strongest associate teams in women's cricket in recent years and will look to pull off a major upset against Pakistan to reach the last four of the competition.
Men's Asian Games Begins with Qualifying Round
The men's cricket tournament will follow a different format from the women's event. Ten teams will compete, with the top four ranked teams receiving direct entry into the quarterfinals. The remaining six teams will play in a preliminary round, split into two groups of three.
Group A includes Nepal, Afghanistan, and hosts Japan, setting up a competitive battle for qualification. Group B features Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Oman. Each team will play the other two sides in its group in a round-robin format between September 24 and September 26.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals and join the four seeded teams in the knockout stage. The format gives the associate nations a chance to compete for a place in the last eight and challenge Asia's top cricket teams.
Top Four Teams Receive Direct Quarterfinal Berths in Asian Games
Defending champions India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have received direct entry into the men's quarterfinals as the four highest-ranked Full Member teams. They have already been placed in Quarterfinals 1 to 4 and will face the teams that qualify from the preliminary group stage.
Nepal will have the chance to reach the knockout stage if they finish in the top two of Group A, which also includes Afghanistan and hosts Japan. The quarterfinals will be followed by the semifinals, the bronze medal match, and the gold medal final.
Both the men's and women's events will be played at Kōrogi Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture. With cricket set to return to the Olympic Games at Los Angeles 2028, the 2026 Asian Games will give teams an important opportunity to build momentum and gain valuable experience on the international stage.
Also read: Zimbabwe suffer major blow as Milton Shumba ruled out of India T20I series, replacement named
