India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka advance directly to knockouts

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have received straight entry into the quarterfinals of both the men’s and women’s cricket competitions at the Asian Games 2026. The four nations qualified as Asia’s ICC Full Member nations and will not play any preparatory matches.

All matches will be played in Nagoya, Japan, with both competitions taking place in the T20 format and having full international status.

India enters both competitions as defending champions, having won the men’s and women’s gold medals when cricket returned to the Asian Games in Hangzhou 2023. Shreyas Iyer will lead the Indian men’s team, with Tilak Varma serving as vice captain.

Which teams will compete in the preliminary round?

On the men’s side, six teams will compete in a preliminary group stage for the final four quarter-final spots. The six teams have been divided into two groups: Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal in Group A, and Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Oman in Group B, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals following round-robin matches. The men’s competition runs from September 24 to October 1.

The women’s draw will feature eight teams competing in a direct knockout style beginning with the quarter-finals and spanning from September 17 to 22.

Thailand and Malaysia earned their spots through the qualifier, with Thailand winning the tournament and Malaysia finishing second. China secured the final qualification berth by defeating Nepal in the third-place playoff.

How does the women’s quarterfinals draw look?

The women’s quarter-final draw was made on July 23. India will play hosts Japan in one of the quarter-finals, while Bangladesh will face China. The other side of the draw pits Sri Lanka against Malaysia and Pakistan against Thailand.

The fixtures mark India’s first competitive meeting with Japan at this level in the Asian Games. Pakistan and Sri Lanka face opponents from the qualification competition, while Bangladesh faces China, who qualified via the third-place playoff.