When Will India Play Pakistan at the Asian Games 2026? Cricket Draw Explained

The cricket schedule for the 2026 Asian Games has been confirmed, with defending champions India set to begin their men's and women's campaigns directly from the quarter-finals.

However, fans hoping for an India-Pakistan clash may have to wait until the business end of the tournament, as the two rivals can meet only once-and only if both progress deep into the competition.

Why can't India and Pakistan meet earlier?

The men's tournament draw has placed India and Pakistan on opposite sides of the knockout bracket.

As the four highest-seeded teams, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have all received direct entry into the quarter-finals.

Because of the bracket structure, India and Pakistan cannot face each other before the last four.

That means the two teams can meet only in:

• The semi-finals, if both reach the final four and are drawn against each other.
• The final, if they win their respective semi-final matches.

How is the men's tournament structured?

The men's cricket competition begins on September 24 and will be played in the T20 format, with all matches carrying full international status.

Direct quarter-final qualifiers

• India
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka

Group A

• Afghanistan
• Japan
• Nepal

Group B

• Hong Kong China
• Malaysia
• Oman

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals to complete the eight-team knockout stage.

Who will India play?

India's quarter-final opponent will be one of the teams advancing from the group stage.

Shreyas Iyer will captain the side, with Tilak Varma serving as vice-captain.

The squad also features teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Women's draw

India's women's team will begin its title defence against hosts Japan in the quarter-finals.

If Harmanpreet Kaur's side win, they will face either Bangladesh or China in the semi-finals.

The other half of the draw features:

• Sri Lanka vs Malaysia
• Pakistan vs Thailand

The winners of those quarter-finals will meet in the second semi-final.

India defending double gold

India enter the 2026 Asian Games as defending champions in both competitions after winning gold medals in Hangzhou in 2023.

The men's team claimed the title under Ruturaj Gaikwad, while Harmanpreet Kaur led the women's team to gold.

Both teams will now look to retain their crowns in Aichi-Nagoya.

Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule

Women's tournament:

September 17-23

Men's tournament:

September 24 onwards

Format:

T20 Internationals (full international status)

With India and Pakistan placed on opposite sides of the men's knockout bracket, the tournament leaves open the possibility of just one meeting between the rivals-either in the semi-finals or the gold-medal match, provided both teams advance.