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Asian Games 2026 Cricket Draws Confirmed; India and Pakistan Seeded Into Quarterfinals

Organisers have fixed T20I schedules and a single venue so top Asian full members skip early rounds while lower-ranked sides must qualify through a preliminary stage.

Overview

  • Organisers published the official draws on July 23–24, confirming the women’s eight‑team knockout will run from Sept. 17–22 and the men’s tournament begins its preliminary stage from Sept. 24 at Kōrogi Athletic Park in AichiNagoya.
  • India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were seeded directly into the men’s quarter‑finals, with six lower‑ranked or associate sides split into two three‑team groups to produce the four remaining quarter‑finalists.
  • The draw places India and Pakistan on opposite halves of both draws so the rivals can meet only in later knockout rounds; coverage differs on whether that is limited to the final or could include the semi‑finals but all outlets agree they cannot meet before the semis.
  • Both tournaments will be played as T20 internationals with full T20I status, and India have named 15‑player squads led by Shreyas Iyer (men) and Harmanpreet Kaur (women), with some fitness caveats noted.
  • Reports differ slightly on the men’s closing date (some outlets list Oct. 1, others Oct. 3) and the exact phrasing of the IndiaPakistan meeting window, but the confirmed changes give emerging teams a clear route to face Asia’s top sides and offer a competitive build‑up toward Los Angeles 2028.