ISLAMABAD: Cricket is officially set to feature in the 20th Asian Games, which are scheduled to take place in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026.
The confirmation follows a series of meetings between the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games Organising Committee (AINAGOC).
In an official statement, the OCA noted: “The OCA Board will still need to approve it, although we believe that is merely a formality. Until then, it cannot be considered 100 percent confirmed,” a representative from the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) stated.
The meetings are scheduled to run from Wednesday, 30 April, to Friday, 2 May, with the 3rd OCA Coordination Committee Meeting taking place across 1–2 May.
As in previous editions, cricket will be contested in the T20 format. The final list of participating nations is expected to be confirmed during follow-up discussions later in the week.
At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, 14 men’s and nine women’s teams competed in the cricket event. India claimed gold in both categories and will enter the 2026 Games as the reigning champions.
Choice of venue
One of the key matters still under review is the choice of venue. Organisers are reportedly considering the use of a modular stadium, similar to the one deployed by the ICC in New York during a recent T20 World Cup.
A JCA official confirmed that the cricket venue will be located in Aichi Prefecture, though the precise site has yet to be determined.
“The cricket venue will be situated in Aichi Prefecture, but the exact location remains undecided.
There will be significant interest, not just due to cricket’s popularity in South Asia, but also owing to its inclusion in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games in T20 format,” the OCA statement said.
“This marks cricket’s return to the Olympics for the first time since 1900 in Paris, where Great Britain defeated France by 158 runs in the final of a two-team tournament,” it added.
2026 Asian Games
The 2026 Asian Games will showcase 41 sports and are expected to attract around 15,000 athletes and officials from the OCA’s 45-member National Olympic Committees.
In the last edition in Hangzhou, Pakistan’s men’s cricket team experienced a disappointing run. Entering the competition at the quarter-final stage, they were knocked out by Afghanistan in a rain-affected fixture that ended without a result. Afghanistan progressed to the semi-finals due to a higher group-stage seeding.
With the senior national side preparing for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, Pakistan fielded a second-string squad in Hangzhou, captained by Qasim Akram and featuring emerging players such as Arafat Minhas and Khushdil Shah.
