Asian Games 2026: India and Pakistan to avoid early cricket clash

The cricket tournament at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, will not feature an early matchup between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. Due to the tournament draw and seeding, both the men’s and women’s cricket competitions have granted India and Pakistan direct entry into the quarterfinals.

In the men’s competition, India and Pakistan are placed in separate quarterfinal brackets. This structure ensures they cannot meet in the group stages or the semifinals. A clash between the two nations is only possible during the medal rounds, specifically in either the gold medal final or the bronze medal match.

The cricket events are scheduled to run from September 17 to October 3, with the women’s tournament preceding the men’s. While the top seeds like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka bypass the group stage, other teams such as Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal must compete through the initial rounds to qualify for the quarterfinals.