Asian Games 2026 cricket draw places India and Pakistan on opposite sides
The cricket schedule for the 2026 Asian Games has been released, confirming that both the men's and women's T20 tournaments will take place in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September. Defending champions India directly qualified for the quarter-finals in both the men's and women's T20 events.
Organisers published the fixtures and the full draw ahead of the September competition in Aichi-Nagoya. In the men's bracket, India and Pakistan have been placed on opposite sides so a meeting between the two can occur only in the semi-finals or the final. The women's tournament will see India begin its title defence against hosts Japan, with both the men's and women's events played in the T20 format.
The men's draw ensures India and Pakistan cannot meet before the semi-final stage, meaning any India-Pakistan contest would arrive in the latter rounds of the competition. India’s men's team has been granted direct entry into the quarter-finals, avoiding earlier fixtures in the preliminary phase. That direct qualification mirrors the position of the women's team, which also advances straight to the last eight.
India's women will open their defence against Japan, the host nation, in Aichi-Nagoya. As reigning champions, the women's side will not be required to contest initial qualifying matches and will commence their campaign in the quarter-final zone. The scheduling places the title-holders on a course that begins with an encounter against the tournament hosts.
Both the men's and women's T20 events are scheduled across venues in Aichi-Nagoya in September as part of the broader Asian Games programme. Organisers released the complete fixtures alongside the draw, setting out the paths teams must take through the competition. The announcement provides clarity on which sides receive direct quarter-final berths and how potential marquee match-ups might be staged.
The configuration of the draw makes a high-profile India-Pakistan meeting in the men's event possible only in the semi-finals or the final. India will begin the women's title defence against Japan in Aichi-Nagoya this September.
