Cricket is set to return for the 20th Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4, 2026, as confirmed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
Although the decision still awaits final approval by the OCA Board, officials say it is largely a formality. “The OCA Board will still need to approve it, although we think that is just a formality. But until they do, it is not 100 percent,” a Japan Cricket Association (JCA) official told media. The announcement came during the OCA’s third Coordination Committee Meeting held between April 30 and May 2.
As with previous editions, cricket will be played in the T20 format. The final list of participating teams is expected to be announced following further deliberations later this week.
In the previous edition held in Hangzhou in 2022, India dominated the cricket competition, claiming gold in both the men’s and women’s categories. Fourteen men’s and nine women’s teams participated in that tournament.
Pakistan endured a disappointing campaign in Hangzhou. Entering the tournament at the quarterfinal stage, the men’s team—comprising a second-string squad led by Qasim Akram—was eliminated without playing a full match, as their rain-hit fixture against Afghanistan ended with no result. Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals on the basis of a higher seeding from the group stages.
