Aichi-Nagoya: India and Pakistan cricket teams secure direct quarter-final entry at Asian Games

By Karan Malhotra — 24 July 2026 — 3 min read

Direct Entry for India and Pakistan

India and Pakistan have both secured direct entry into the quarter-finals of the men’s and women’s cricket competitions at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi, Japan. This favourable draw positions both nations to potentially defend their gold medals without facing early challenges. The cricket events are scheduled to take place at Korogi Athletic Park in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture.

The women’s tournament is set to run from September 17 to 22, while the men’s competition will follow from September 24 to October 1. This arrangement allows both Indian teams to bypass the preliminary stages, providing a significant advantage as they aim to retain their titles.

The draw, announced on Thursday, ensures that potential high-stakes clashes between India and Pakistan are reserved for the later stages of the tournaments. This strategic seeding is a result of their strong rankings among Asia’s top T20I teams.

Men’s and Women’s Tournament Formats

In the men’s competition, which features 10 teams, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have all received direct quarter-final berths due to their top-four T20I rankings in Asia. The preliminary round will see Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, and Oman competing for the remaining quarter-final spots.

These teams are divided into two groups for the preliminary stage. Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal are grouped in Group A, while Hong Kong China, Malaysia, and Oman form Group B. The top two teams from each of these groups will then advance to the knockout stage to join the four seeded sides.

The Indian men’s team will be captained by Shreyas Iyer. They enter the tournament as defending champions, having claimed gold at Hangzhou 2023. Their final match in Hangzhou against Afghanistan was affected by rain, with India being awarded the title based on their higher seeding.

Asian Games: India and Pakistan cricket teams get direct entry into Qrt finals Credit: newsonair.gov.in

For the women’s event, an eight-team T20 competition, Harmanpreet Kaur will lead the Indian side. Their title defence will commence in the quarter-finals against hosts Japan. Should India overcome Japan, their semi-final opponent would be either Bangladesh or China.

Pakistan‘s women’s team has been placed on the opposite side of the draw, alongside Thailand. The other quarter-final match in this section will see Sri Lanka face Malaysia. This setup means that an India-Pakistan encounter in the women’s tournament could only occur in the gold-medal match.

The Indian women’s team also arrives with confidence, having secured the cricket gold medal at Hangzhou 2023. They defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final, marking India‘s first cricket gold at the Asian Games since the sport’s return to the programme.

Cricket’s Growing Presence

The Asian Games cricket tournament will once again be played in the T20 format, serving as a significant multi-sport platform. This event precedes cricket’s return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028, highlighting the sport’s increasing global presence.

Both Indian teams have received favourable pathways in the draw, which could potentially lead to two high-profile India-Pakistan clashes in the pursuit of gold medals. The men’s competition will conclude on October 1.