India will begin the defence of its Asian Games cricket titles after the official schedule for the 2026 edition was announced. The tournament will be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with all matches taking place at Korogi Athletic Park.
Cricket will once again be played in the T20 format. The women’s competition will start on September 17, while the men’s tournament will begin on September 24. The 2026 Asian Games will run from September 19 to October 4.
India Looks to Defend Both Gold Medals
India enjoyed a dream debut in cricket at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. After skipping the 2010 and 2014 editions due to international commitments, the Indian men’s and women’s teams made an immediate impact by winning gold medals.
The women’s team defeated Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final to lift the title. Meanwhile, the men’s team was awarded the gold medal after the rain-affected final against Afghanistan ended without a result. India claimed the title as the higher-seeded team.
As a result, India heads into the 2026 Asian Games with a perfect record, having won gold in both cricket events it has played.
Asian Games 2026 Women’s Cricket Schedule
The women’s cricket competition will take place from September 17 to September 22. It will follow an eight-team knockout format, with the top-ranked teams, including India, entering directly in the quarter-finals.
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
The winners of the semi-finals will compete for the gold medal, while the losing teams will play for bronze.
Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket Schedule
The men’s competition will be held from September 24 to October 3 and will feature 10 teams.
The six lower-ranked teams will compete in a preliminary round before the top four seeded nations enter the quarter-finals.
Preliminary Phase (September 24-26)
Group A
- Afghanistan
- Japan
- Nepal
Group B
- Hong Kong China
- Malaysia
- Oman
The top teams from the preliminary stage will qualify for the knockout rounds.
Quarter-finals (September 28-29)
- India vs Qualifier (TBD)
- Pakistan vs Qualifier (TBD)
- Sri Lanka vs Qualifier (TBD)
- Bangladesh vs Qualifier (TBD)
The semi-finals and medal matches will follow after the quarter-final stage.
Cricket Continues Its Asian Games Journey
Cricket will make its fourth appearance at the Asian Games in 2026.
The sport first featured at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and returned in Incheon 2014. However, it was not included at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games before making a successful comeback at Hangzhou 2023.
With another T20 tournament scheduled in Japan, India will be aiming to defend both the men’s and women’s titles and continue its unbeaten record in Asian Games cricket.