Cricket at the 2026 Asian Games begins in Nagoya on September 17, bringing leading Asian national teams to Japan for two compact T20 tournaments. The women's gold-medal match is scheduled for September 22, while the men's competition runs until October 3.
The event is easy to misunderstand because the men's and women's competitions use different structures. The men begin with a group phase before the leading teams enter the quarter-finals; the women play a straight eight-team knockout. Here is the format, schedule and qualification path in plain language.
When does Asian Games cricket start?
The women's tournament opens on September 17 and concludes with the bronze- and gold-medal matches on September 22. The men's preliminary stage starts on September 24, followed by quarter-finals from September 28 and the medal matches on October 3.
All matches are staged at Nisshin Cricket Ground inside Korogi Sports Park on the outskirts of Nagoya. The venue recently hosted an East Asia-Pacific qualifier as a test event and uses a hybrid cricket surface designed to offer both bounce and turn.
Women's tournament: straight knockout from day one
Eight women's teams enter an immediate quarter-final bracket. That means there is no group-stage safety net: one defeat ends a team's gold-medal campaign, although losing semi-finalists still have a chance to win bronze.
The quarter-final schedule is:
- September 17: Japan vs India.
- September 17: Pakistan vs Thailand.
- September 18: Bangladesh vs China.
- September 18: Malaysia vs Sri Lanka.
The winner of Japan versus India meets the winner of Bangladesh versus China. The Pakistan-Thailand winner faces the winner of Malaysia versus Sri Lanka. Both semi-finals take place on September 20, with the bronze-medal game and final two days later.
India are defending women's champions after beating Sri Lanka in the previous edition. Pakistan also carry a strong Asian Games history, having won the women's gold medal in both 2010 and 2014.
Men's tournament: group stage followed by quarter-finals
The men's competition has 10 teams and begins with two three-team groups. The top two from each group advance, while India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh receive direct entry to the quarter-finals because of their higher seeding.
- Group A: Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal.
- Group B: Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman.
Preliminary matches are played from September 24 to 26. India face the Group A runner-up and Pakistan meet the Group B runner-up on September 28. On September 29, Sri Lanka play the Group A winner, while Bangladesh face the Group B winner.
The semi-finals are scheduled for October 1. The bronze-medal playoff and gold-medal match follow on October 3.
Why the direct quarter-final places matter
A bye reduces the number of matches required to win a medal, but it also gives the seeded teams very little time to adjust to conditions. Group-stage qualifiers will already have experience of the Nagoya surface by the time the quarter-finals begin.
That contrast could be important on a hybrid pitch. A team entering cold may have greater individual depth, while its opponent may hold better information about bounce, pace and the amount of grip available to spin bowlers.
India are defending men's champions. Their previous final against Afghanistan was washed out, with India awarded gold on the basis of higher seeding. Afghanistan have finished with silver at three consecutive Asian Games cricket tournaments and will again be chasing their first title.
Which teams qualified?
Full ICC members in the event and host nation Japan received automatic places. Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman earned men's berths through qualification, while China, Malaysia and Thailand completed the women's field.
The event offers two kinds of opportunity. Established sides can add a multi-sport gold medal that sits outside the normal bilateral and ICC tournament calendar. Emerging teams get rare competitive exposure against some of the strongest countries in Asian cricket.
Japan's presence is especially significant. Hosting high-profile national teams can introduce the sport to new local audiences, while the permanent cricket facility around Nagoya gives the tournament a potential legacy after the medals have been decided.
How to follow the tournament
Broadcast and streaming arrangements can differ by country. Fans should check their national Asian Games rights holder and official event listings close to each match. Because fixtures are in Japan, start times may fall early in South Asia and overnight in parts of Europe and the Americas.
The safest approach is to save fixtures in a calendar that automatically converts Japan Standard Time to the viewer's location. Team announcements and weather can also affect match-day expectations, so confirmed playing elevens remain more useful than speculative lineups published well in advance.
For more tournament analysis, read our Women's Asia Cup net run-rate and qualification guide or browse the latest stories in our Cricket section.
