India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka awarded direct entry to Asian Games knockouts

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have been granted direct entry into the knockout rounds of the Asian Games. The men's competition will feature ten teams while the women's competition will comprise eight sides and will begin at the quarter-final stage.

The information was published on 2026-07-24T05:33:43.0000000Z. It clarifies the size and opening phases of both the men's and women's cricket tournaments at the Games. No match-level results or schedules were included in the notice accompanying the entry confirmation.

The four nations named — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — will move straight into the knockout portion of the event. That placement removes the need for those teams to contest earlier qualifying fixtures within the tournament structure.

Organisers have defined the men's field as a ten-team competition. That number establishes the overall scale for the men's event but the announcement did not expand on how the ten teams will be arranged or seeded within the bracket.

The women's tournament is set as an eight-side event and will commence at the quarter-final phase. Starting the women's competition at that stage means the opening matches of the event will be knockout contests between the eight participating teams.

The confirmation sets the basic framework for both competitions at the Asian Games, specifying team counts and the opening round for the women's event. Additional operational details and full match schedules are expected to be released separately.