Asian Games 2026 cricket schedule: Full dates, times and venues revealed

The schedule for the 2026 Asian Cricket Games has been confirmed by the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee. The tournament will be played in the T20 format and will take place from September 17 to October 3 in Japan, starting before the official dates of the Asian Games from September 19 to October 4.

India will enter the event as the defending champions in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The women’s team won the gold medal after beating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final. In the men’s event, Ruturaj Gaikwad led India to gold when the final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain.

2026 Asian Cricket Games schedule and format confirmed

The Asian Games cricket tournament will begin on September 17 and the gold medal matches will be scheduled for October 3. Japan will host the event in Aichi-Nagoya, and all men’s and women’s matches will be played at Karogi Athletic Park in Aichi Prefecture, as reported by Olympics.com.

The competition will be played entirely in the T20 format. As per the schedule, the men’s tournament will begin on September 24 and end on October 3. A total of 10 teams, including defending champions India, will participate.

If the rules remain the same as the 2023 Asian Games, the four seeded teams will qualify directly for the quarter-finals, while the remaining six teams will play preliminary matches for the other places.

Each match day will feature double matches, with matches starting at 5:30 a.m. IST and 10:30 a.m. IST, which corresponds to 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. local time in Japan.

2026 Asian Games women’s cricket to begin on September 17

The women’s cricket event at the 2026 Asian Games will begin on September 17 and the medal matches will be scheduled for September 22. The tournament will feature eight teams and will follow a knockout format, starting directly from the quarter-final stage.

Cricket will be present at the Asian Games for the fourth time. The sport has only appeared three times in the tournament’s 19 editions, the latest being the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Cricket first appeared at the Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010 and returned to Incheon in 2014, although these editions do not have international status. Beyond the Asian Games, cricket will return to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, marking its first Olympic appearance since 1900.

2026 Asian Games Men’s Cricket Schedule:

2026 Asian Games Women’s Cricket Schedule:

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