Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule revealed for Aichi-Nagoya
Organisers have published the cricket schedule for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with every match set at Korogi Athletic Park and both men’s and women’s competitions staged in the sport’s shortest format. The women’s tournament is scheduled for September 17-22 and the men’s competition for September 24 to October 3.
Cricket at the Games will be conducted under all international rules, according to the schedule, and will use the shortest format of the game. The organisers describe the inclusion of full international regulations as adding further significance to the continental multi-sport event. Both the men and women in blue will enter the competition as the defending champions.
The men’s tournament will feature ten teams and a preliminary qualification phase followed by seeded entrants. Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal comprise Group A, while Group B contains Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman. Preliminary qualification matches are slated for September 24-26, with four qualifiers advancing to join the seeded nations India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The women’s competition will be an eight-team, direct knockout event held between September 17 and 22. India opens its campaign against Japan in a quarter-final on September 17. The remaining quarter-final ties are Bangladesh versus People’s Republic of China, Sri Lanka versus Malaysia, and Pakistan versus Thailand.
The last time cricket was contested at the Asian Games was in 2023, when India’s men’s and women’s teams each won gold medals. In 2023 India’s men defeated Afghanistan in the gold-medal match and the women beat Sri Lanka in the final. For the Indian men’s side the Asian Games offer another stage in multi-team T20 competition, while the Harmanpreet Kaur-led women’s team view the event as an opportunity to bounce back after their humiliating group-stage exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Pakistan and India share the record for the most Asian Games cricket gold medals, with two apiece across men’s and women’s events. Cricket was first included in the Asian Games at the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, China. For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.
The women’s knockout stage begins on September 17 with India facing Japan in a quarter-final, while the men’s preliminary qualification matches run from September 24-26; the four qualifiers will then join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the main draw that continues through October 3.