Asian Games Cricket 2026

The Asian Games matches in Nagoya will begin very soon. Men’s and women’s cricket teams from different countries will compete for prestigious trophies. We’ll be sharing more details about the lineups, the schedule, and who to watch at Asian Games Cricket 2026.

Asian Games Cricket 2026: Men’s and Women’s Teams

The fourth Asian Games tournament will take place in Nagoya, Japan. The event is scheduled to begin on September 17; matches for the women’s teams will start on Thursday and run until September 22. The men’s games will begin after them: from September 24 to October 3. All tournament matches will be played in the T20 format. India has been confirmed as a participant in Asian Games 2026 cricket tournament; as the reigning champions in both categories, they will aim to retain their titles.

The number of registered teams differs between the women’s and men’s tournaments. Thus, 8 teams will compete in the women’s cup, while 10 countries will compete for medals among men, therefore, the matches will last longer. Full list of participants:

Participating countries in the Asian Games women’s division:

Participating countries in the Asian Games men’s division:

Not all countries have announced their full squads who will play on the field on both the women’s and men’s sides. Though, the roster of key teams is already known. India will defend its gold medals under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur. However, there will be a slight change in the women’s division: Jemimah Rodrigues sustained a hip injury before the match, and a replacement is being sought for her. The Pakistan teams will be led by Sahibzada Farhan and Fatima Sana, while Litton Das and Nigar Sultana will lead Bangladesh. Darwish Rasooli is the captain of the Afghanistan men’s national team. Among the favorites, only Sri Lanka has not yet announced its squads.

Asian Games Cricket 2026: Match Fixtures

The structure of women’s and men’s matches differs from each other. Women’s matches will follow a straight knockout format, without the preliminary group stage featured in the men’s competition. Due to this and the smaller number of teams, the women’s matches will take place over six days, during which the winner will be determined. Asian Games 2026 will open with a match between Bangladesh and China.

Structure of women’s matches

The match format is perfectly clear: following four qualifying games, four teams will continue to compete against one another, ultimately determining the two finalist nations that will vie for the gold medal in the main match. The winner will take the gold, while the loser – silver. As for the bronze medal match, it will take place before the main event.

The structure of the men’s matches is slightly more complex, as more than eight teams participate in the tournament. Four ICC member countries — with the exception of Afghanistan—are guaranteed a spot in the quarter-finals. The remaining six teams will first play group matches to determine which ones advance to the semi-finals, while two squads will head home. The teams are divided into Groups A and B:

Two groups will each play six matches (three per group) from September 24 to 26, with all participants facing one another. The top two teams from each group will advance to the main stage of the Asian Games tournament, which follows the same structure as the women’s division.

Structure of men’s matches

The battle for the top prizes will follow the same scenario seen in the women’s matches. This format leaves no room for error, as there is no chance for redemption after a loss; this places immense pressure on the players, but it is precisely what makes these games so compelling.

Who to Watch at Asian Games Cricket 2026

India arrives in Nagoya as the reigning Asian Games champions in both the men’s and women’s divisions, with a single goal: to repeat their past successes. The Indian teams enter Asian Cricket Games 2026 as the favorites. However, it will be interesting to keep an eye on their main opponents: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka won gold in the men’s division in 2010 and 2014, respectively, while the Pakistan women’s team holds two gold medals.

Afghanistan’s performance should generate no less interest: the men’s national team has finished second in all three of its previous appearances. The consistency is amazing; however, after several silver medals, another one will be perceived as a defeat. Afghanistan enters the tournament hoping to win gold, but they will first have to navigate the group stage, making the team’s performance all the more interesting to watch.

The tournament structure ensures that the clear favorites will not face each other in the quarterfinals (with the exception of Afghanistan in the men’s draw), but this opens the door for an underdog to pull off a shock result. In particular, Japan is aiming to put in a strong performance on home soil. If they manage to reach the semifinals in any of the divisions, it will be a landmark moment for Japanese cricket.