The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, will feature a seeded structure for the men's cricket tournament, with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh all receiving direct entry into the knockout stage. These four teams will be joined in the quarterfinals by four additional qualifiers, according to the official draw announced on Thursday, July 23.
For the men's event, six other nations will compete in a qualifying round split into two groups. Group A includes the 2023 silver medalists alongside hosts Japan and Nepal, while Group B features Malaysia, Oman, and Hong Kong, China. Teams will play each other once within their respective groups, with the top two sides from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. The men's cricket competition is scheduled to run from September 24 to October 1.
The women's tournament will also begin directly at the quarterfinal stage. The matchups for the women's event are set with India facing Japan, Pakistan taking on Thailand, Sri Lanka meeting Malaysia, and Bangladesh competing against the People's Republic of China. The women's cricket event will take place from September 17 to 22.
India enters the 2026 games as the reigning gold medalist in both the men’s and women’s cricket events following their success at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Asian Games Men’s Cricket Qualifying draw EVZx8g2m6dp Asian Games Women’s Cricket Quarterfinal draw Thailand vs Pakistan Malaysia vs Sri Lanka People’s Republic of China vs Bangladesh Japan vs India
