NAGOYA, Japan (Kashmir English): India and Pakistan will not meet at the Asian Games 2026 cricket event until in a medal match under the tournament draw.
The draw shows that the arch-rivals will avoid an early meeting and it will be only in the gold-medal match or bronze-medal play-off that they would be able to face each other.
The two nations are the top seeds in the men’s cricket competition and have been placed on opposite sides of the knockout bracket. They can therefore meet only in the gold-medal match or bronze-medal play-off.
Asian Games women’s competition
The same format applies to the women’s competition at the Asian Games.
The Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, while the cricket tournament runs from September 17 to October 3. The women’s final is scheduled for September 22.
The men’s Asian Games tournament features 10 teams, with Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka getting direct entry into the quarter-finals.
India are in Quarter-final 2 and Pakistan in Quarter-final 1, with both matches scheduled for September 28. Their opponents will be determined by the group-stage matches results.
The winner of Quarter-final 1 will meet the winner of Quarter-final 4 in the semi-finals, while the winner of Quarter-final 2 will face the winner of Quarter-final 3.
Both semi-finals are scheduled for October 1, meaning India vs. Pakistan can only take place in the men’s final or bronze-medal match on October 3.
Women’s draw
India are the top seeds in the women’s competition, while Pakistan are ranked fourth behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The Asia number 1 will face Japan in the quarter-finals and could meet Bangladesh or Hong Kong, China in the semi-finals.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will take on Thailand, with Sri Lanka or Malaysia awaiting them in the last four if they progress.
Thus, an India-Pakistan women’s clash can be possible only in the final or bronze-medal match on September 22.
All matches will be played in the T20 format at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Japan.
