Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026: Men’s & Women’s Team List

Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026: Full Men’s & Women’s Team List

The Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026 line-up is confirmed, with 10 men’s teams and eight women’s teams set to compete in Japan. India will arrive as defending gold medallists in both competitions, while Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal and host nation Japan are among the other teams to watch.

Fans following our Asian Games Cricket 2026 coverage can use the tournament category to find all related stories in one place. For the broader picture, including India’s medal defence, tournament format and major updates, read our complete Asian Games Cricket 2026 guide. Match dates and timings are covered separately in the Asian Games Cricket Schedule 2026.

This article focuses specifically on the participating countries: the complete men’s and women’s team lists, men’s groups, four seeded nations, knockout structure and the teams that could shape the medal race.

The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee officially announced the participating countries and cricket matchups on August 26.

Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026 – Complete Men’s and Women’s Line-Up

There are 18 team entries across the two competitions — 10 in men’s cricket and eight in women’s cricket.

The structure, however, is different.

Six men’s teams must compete in a preliminary group stage, while India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are already seeded into the quarter-finals. The women’s tournament consists of eight teams beginning with direct knockout fixtures.

Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket Teams

This arrangement creates two different routes to the medals. The four seeded countries need only navigate the knockout rounds, while the remaining six first have to qualify from their respective groups.

Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket Group A Teams

Group A contains Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal.

This is particularly important from an Indian perspective because India will face the second-placed team from Group A in the quarter-final on September 28.

That means Afghanistan, Japan or Nepal could become India’s first opponent at the Games.

Afghanistan will attract plenty of attention because of its established international T20 pedigree, while Nepal have built a passionate cricket following and significant experience in the shortest format.

Japan bring a completely different dimension to the group. They are the host nation and will have an opportunity to compete against two established Asian cricket sides on home soil.

For India, every Group A result matters even before Shreyas Iyer’s side plays its first official Asian Games match.

Asian Games 2026 Men’s Cricket Group B Teams

Group B consists of Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman.

Again, the top two sides progress.

The Group B runner-up will face Pakistan, while the Group B winner will meet Bangladesh in the quarter-finals.

That makes every group result meaningful. Finishing first rather than second not only confirms qualification but also determines which seeded opponent awaits in the knockout round.

Oman and Hong Kong, China bring considerable experience from international associate cricket, while Malaysia will see the Asian Games as an opportunity to make an impact on a major continental stage.

Four Teams Seeded Directly Into the Men’s Quarter-Finals

The men’s competition has four seeded countries that do not need to participate in the preliminary stage.

Asian Games 2026 Men’s Seeded Teams

The official tournament draw therefore guarantees places in the last eight for India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

For these four countries, the route to gold can be remarkably short:

Quarter-final → Semi-final → Gold-medal match

Three victories can be enough to win the tournament.

But there is another side to that advantage: there is no opportunity to recover from a slow start. The seeded teams enter directly into elimination cricket.

India Men at Asian Games Cricket 2026

India will be one of the biggest teams to follow at the Games.

The defending champions have direct entry into the quarter-finals and are scheduled to face the Group A runner-up on September 28.

Shreyas Iyer will lead an Indian squad containing a mix of established internationals and younger talent.

The build-up has already produced one important change. Harshit Rana has been ruled out after suffering another hamstring injury during fitness testing, with Yash Thakur replacing him. Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy have received fitness clearance.

India are also expected to play Japan in a one-off T20I on September 22 before their Asian Games quarter-final. That game is preparation for the tournament rather than part of the official Asian Games fixture list.

India therefore enter as a major gold-medal contender, but their first official match will already be a knockout.

Pakistan Men at Asian Games 2026

Pakistan are another of the four seeded teams.

Their quarter-final is against the runner-up from Group B, meaning their opponent will be Hong Kong, China, Malaysia or Oman depending on group-stage results.

Pakistan will not need to play a preliminary match, so their situation is similar to India’s: the first official appearance is also an elimination match.

In a short T20 competition, that makes the quarter-final arguably more dangerous than a conventional tournament opener.

Sri Lanka Men at Asian Games 2026

Sri Lanka also receive direct entry into the quarter-finals.

Unlike India, who meet the Group A runner-up, Sri Lanka will play the Group A winner.

That creates an interesting connection between the two sides of Group A.

If Afghanistan, Japan or Nepal win the group, they face Sri Lanka. The second-placed side faces India.

The group therefore decides not only who qualifies but also the shape of two separate quarter-finals.

Bangladesh Men at Asian Games 2026

Bangladesh complete the group of four seeded nations.

Their quarter-final opponent will be the winner of Group B.

Like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh can reach the gold-medal match with three successive knockout victories.

That makes the preliminary groups particularly important for the six unseeded teams, because qualifying only gets them to a quarter-final against one of Asia’s established cricket nations.

Afghanistan – A Major Team Outside the Seeded Four

Afghanistan stand out among the teams required to play the group stage.

They have been drawn alongside Japan and Nepal in Group A and open the men’s cricket competition against Japan on September 24.

Their objective will be to finish as high as possible in the group.

A first-place finish means a quarter-final against Sri Lanka.

Second place means a meeting with India.

That makes Group A potentially one of the most interesting parts of the men’s competition.

Nepal Have an Opportunity to Disrupt Group A

Nepal should not be treated simply as another name on the list.

Their growing presence in international T20 cricket makes them capable of creating competitive matches, and the three-team structure means there is very little room for mistakes.

Nepal face Afghanistan and Japan in the preliminary stage. With the top two progressing, even one strong result could dramatically change the qualification picture.

For TeamStats.in, this is also a group worth following closely because India’s quarter-final opponent will come directly from it.

Japan Get the Home-Nation Opportunity

Japan appear in both the men’s and women’s cricket competitions.

For the men’s team, the challenge is substantial.

They have Afghanistan and Nepal in Group A, with their campaign beginning against Afghanistan.

The wider significance goes beyond results. Cricket at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be staged at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin City, where a cricket ground was developed for the Asian Games. The organizers say it is Japan’s second facility with a natural-grass pitch meeting international competition requirements. The Games will use the T20 format.

Japan therefore get a rare opportunity to play major continental cricket at a purpose-developed home venue.

Asian Games Cricket 2026 Women’s Teams

The women’s competition features eight countries.

Unlike the men’s tournament, there is no preliminary round-robin group stage in the published schedule. The eight teams begin with four knockout fixtures.

Full Women’s Team List

This creates an extremely simple tournament equation.

Win the opening match and reach the semi-finals. Lose it and the medal campaign is over.

Asian Games 2026 Women’s Opening Matchups

For easier reading, here are the four opening contests separately.

The winners of Pakistan vs Thailand and Sri Lanka vs Malaysia meet in one semi-final. The winners of Bangladesh vs China and India vs Japan meet in the other.

That gives readers a clear view of the medal bracket even before the tournament starts.

India Women Begin Their Gold-Medal Defence Against Japan

India Women are defending champions and begin their Asian Games campaign against host nation Japan on September 18.

India will enter as strong contenders, but the knockout structure removes the safety net normally provided by a group stage.

One poor performance could end the title defence immediately.

India have also been forced into a late personnel change. Jemimah Rodrigues has been ruled out through injury, with Pratika Rawal replacing her in the Asian Games squad.

If India defeat Japan, they will meet the winner of Bangladesh vs China in the semi-final.

That creates India’s possible path:

Japan → Bangladesh/China winner → Medal match

Only three matches separate India from another women’s cricket gold.

Pakistan Women Face Thailand

Pakistan begin against Thailand in the second women’s fixture on September 17.

The winner moves directly into the semi-final and faces either Sri Lanka or Malaysia.

That side of the bracket is completely separate from India’s route until the medal stage.

It means India and Pakistan cannot meet in the semi-finals under the announced draw. A meeting between them would require both teams to advance deeper into the tournament.

Sri Lanka Women Start Against Malaysia

Sri Lanka’s first opponent is Malaysia.

The winner advances to the semi-final against the winner of Pakistan vs Thailand.

Sri Lanka are one of the established cricket nations in the women’s field, while Malaysia have the chance to create one of the tournament’s biggest early surprises.

Because there is no group-stage recovery, the difference between favourite and underdog matters less once the match begins.

Bangladesh Women Draw China

Bangladesh and the People’s Republic of China contest the opening match of the entire Asian Games cricket programme on September 17.

For India, this match has additional relevance.

The winner will advance to the semi-final and face the winner of India vs Japan.

India’s potential semi-final opponent will therefore be known before Harmanpreet Kaur’s team begins its own campaign.

Which Countries Have Both Men’s and Women’s Teams?

Not every participating nation has entered both competitions.

Countries Competing in Both Events

Six countries therefore have representation in both men’s and women’s cricket.

Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, China and Oman appear only in the men’s field, while the People’s Republic of China and Thailand appear in the women’s competition.

This mix gives Asian Games cricket a broader regional field than simply the continent’s traditional major cricket nations.

Men’s vs Women’s Team Structure – What Is Different?

The easiest way to understand the two competitions is through this comparison.

The official Asian Games cricket page confirms that T20 is the format being used at Aichi-Nagoya 2026.

The men’s structure rewards the four seeded teams with direct quarter-final places.

The women’s competition is even more unforgiving: every team is immediately placed into a knockout bracket.

Which Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026 Are the Ones to Watch?

India naturally begin near the top of the conversation because both Indian teams are defending gold medallists. Recent reporting also confirms that the men’s and women’s sides travel to Japan as the reigning champions from the previous Asian Games.

In the men’s competition, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh benefit from direct quarter-final entry alongside India.

Afghanistan are particularly interesting because they must first navigate Group A despite their international T20 experience.

Nepal could make that same group competitive, while Japan have home conditions.

In the women’s event, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh will attract significant attention, but the direct knockout format creates a genuine upset opportunity for Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and China.

That is one of the most important features of this tournament: there is almost no time to recover from an off day.

Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026 FAQs

How many men’s teams are playing at Asian Games 2026?

There are 10 men’s cricket teams: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman.

How many women’s cricket teams are participating?

Eight women’s teams are participating: India, Japan, Bangladesh, People’s Republic of China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand.

Which teams are directly qualified for the men’s quarter-finals?

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the four seeded teams with direct entry into the knockout stage.

Which teams are in Group A?

Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal form Men’s Group A.

Which teams are in Group B?

Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Oman form Men’s Group B.

Who can India Men face in their first match?

India will face the runner-up from Group A, so their quarter-final opponent will be Afghanistan, Japan or Nepal.

Who will India Women play first?

India Women begin against Japan. If India win, they advance to a semi-final against the winner of Bangladesh vs China.

Where will Asian Games cricket be played?

Cricket is scheduled at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin City, Japan. The venue includes a natural-grass cricket pitch developed for the Asian Games.

Final Word

The Asian Games Cricket Teams 2026 field offers an interesting mix of established international sides, emerging cricket nations and host Japan.

In the men’s event, 10 teams are chasing medals. Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal, Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman must first negotiate the group stage, while India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka wait in the quarter-finals.

The women’s tournament features eight teams and an even more direct route: every country begins with knockout cricket.

India carry the additional pressure of defending both gold medals. The men’s side will not know its first opponent until Group A is completed, while India Women already know that their campaign begins against Japan.

As the Games progress, the focus will shift from the team list to qualification, standings and knockout results — but for now, the full field is set and the routes to the medals are clear.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rajani Kant

Cricket Writer & Editor at TeamStats.in

Rajani Kant is a cricket writer and editor at TeamStats.in, covering cricket statistics, team records, player performances, match results and important developments from international cricket. His focus is on presenting cricket information in a clear, useful and easy-to-understand format.

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