Cricket keeps pushing its way back into multi-sport global events. The official draw for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games took place in Nagoya on Thursday, confirming the next chapter of that expansion. The sport returns to the Asian Games for the fourth time, having featured at Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, and Hangzhou 2023, where both Indian teams picked up gold.
Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule confirmed — and India vs Pakistan has a condition attached
Medals aren't the only thing driving teams this time around. With cricket locked in for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, ending a 128-year absence, this tournament also serves as an essential pathway to qualification. That ramps up the pressure at Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture. Japan hosts the main Games from September 19 to October 4. The women get started earlier, running from September 17 to 22, while the men play between September 24 and October 3. Ten teams feature in the men's event, eight in the women's, with all matches carrying full T20 international status. Defending champions India go in as favourites, but the draw gave supporters plenty to digest.
Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule draw: Where India and Pakistan land
Everyone wants to know when India play Pakistan. The short answer? They cannot meet until the semi-finals at the absolute earliest.
Because both nations, alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, hold ICC Full Member status, they bypass the preliminary group stage entirely and go straight into the quarter-finals. Six unseeded sides, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong China, Malaysia, and Oman, must battle through two preliminary groups from September 24 to 26 to claim the remaining four quarter-final spots.
Organisers placed India and Pakistan on opposite sides of the knockout bracket. No shortcuts. To set up a blockbuster final on October 3, both sides have to win their quarter-final and semi-final ties first. Pakistan are making the trip without Babar Azam or Shaheen Afridi. India, on the other hand, named a squad captained by Shreyas Iyer, with young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the ranks.
Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule women's draw and what it means for India
Harmanpreet Kaur's India side start their gold medal defence against host nation Japan in the quarter-finals. Get past Japan, and a semi-final against either Bangladesh or China awaits. Sri Lanka take on Malaysia in the other half of the bracket, while Pakistan face Thailand. Just like the men's side of things, India and Pakistan cannot cross paths until the final on September 22.
Asian Games cricket used to feel like an afterthought, slotted awkwardly into a packed international calendar. The Olympic angle changes everything. With LA 2028 spots on the line, every single match in Aichi suddenly carries genuine weight.
Men's team schedule:
Group A
Afghanistan
Japan
Nepal
Group B
Hong Kong China
Malaysia
Oman
Quarter-finals (September 28-29)
India vs TBD
Pakistan vs TBD
Sri Lanka vs TBD
Bangladesh vs TBD
Women's team schedule:
India vs Japan
Bangladesh vs China
Sri Lanka vs Malaysia
Pakistan vs Thailand
Semi-finals:
India/Japan vs Bangladesh/China
Sri Lanka/Malaysia vs Pakistan/Thailand
India's Men’s squad for Asian Games:
Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ishan Kishan, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India's Women’s squad for Asian Games:
Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (WK), G. Kamalini (WK), Bharti Fulmali, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Arundhati Reddy, Shreyanka Patil*, Radha Yadav, Nandni Sharma.
