India and Pakistan will avoid an early meeting at the Asian Games 2026, with the arch-rivals only able to face each other in a medal match under the tournament draw.
The two teams 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.
The same format applies to the women’s competition.
The Asian 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.
India and Pakistan separated in men’s draw
The men’s competition features 10 teams, with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka receiving 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 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.
The 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 also keeps rivals apart
India are the top seeds in the women’s competition, while Pakistan are ranked fourth behind Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India will face Japan in the quarter-finals and could meet Bangladesh or Hong Kong, China in the semi-finals. Pakistan 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 also only occur 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.
India have named Shreyas Iyer as men’s captain and Harmanpreet Kaur as women’s captain for the Nagoya Asian Games.