The schedule for cricket at the 2026 Asian Games has been officially announced, with India's men's and women's teams set to begin the defence of their titles in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Cricket will once again be played in the T20 format, with all matches taking place at the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi.
The 2026 Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4, will feature cricket before and during the multi-sport extravaganza, with the women's competition beginning on September 17 and the men's tournament getting underway on September 24.
India made its Asian Games cricket debut at Hangzhou 2023 after skipping the 2010 and 2014 editions because of international scheduling commitments. The decision proved to be a successful one as both the men's and women's teams clinched gold medals in their first-ever appearance at the Games.
The women's team defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final to secure the title, while the men's side was awarded gold after the rain-hit final against Afghanistan was decided on the basis of the higher-ranked team's seeding. India therefore heads into Aichi-Nagoya with a perfect record, having won gold in both events they have contested.
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Asian Games 2026 Women's Cricket Schedule
The women's competition will run from September 17 to September 22 and will follow an eight-team direct knockout format, with the top-ranked nations, including India, entering directly at the quarter-final stage.
Quarter-finals (September 17-18)
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
Asian Games 2026 Men's Cricket Schedule
The men's tournament will be held from September 24 to October 3 and will feature 10 teams.
The six lower-ranked teams will first compete in a preliminary group stage, with four teams progressing to join the top four seeds in the quarter-finals.
Preliminary Phase (September 24-26)
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
Cricket will be making its fourth appearance at the Asian Games in 2026. The sport debuted at Guangzhou 2010, returned at Incheon 2014, was omitted from Jakarta-Palembang 2018, and made a successful comeback at Hangzhou 2023. India will now aim to maintain its unbeaten record at the Games by defending both the men's and women's gold medals.
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