The men's cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, begins on September 24, and one question is already dominating the attention of cricket fans: will India and Pakistan face each other?

The possibility is certainly there, but the two teams cannot meet in the preliminary round. Both India and Pakistan have been seeded directly into the quarterfinals. Their potential meeting can therefore happen only in the knockout stages.

10 teams are competing for the cricket medals

A total of 10 teams are participating in the men's T20 cricket competition at the Asian Games.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh received direct entry into the quarterfinals based on their seeding. Afghanistan and the other five teams entered through the preliminary stage or qualification route. The official draw placed Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal in Group A, while Hong Kong China, Malaysia and Oman were placed in Group B.

The top two teams from each preliminary group will advance to the quarterfinals.

How does the Asian Games cricket format work?

The tournament has two stages.

Preliminary round

Six teams compete in the preliminary stage:

• Afghanistan

• Japan

• Nepal

• Hong Kong China

• Malaysia

• Oman

They have been divided into two groups of three.

Each team plays the other teams in its group, with the top two from each group progressing to the quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals

The four teams emerging from the preliminary round then join the four directly seeded teams:

• India

• Pakistan

• Sri Lanka

• Bangladesh

This creates an eight-team knockout stage.

From there, the tournament moves to the semifinals and medal matches.

Can India and Pakistan play each other?

Yes, but not in the group stage or quarterfinals.

Because India and Pakistan are both directly seeded into the quarterfinal stage, they are placed in different parts of the knockout draw.

Their meeting therefore depends on how both teams perform after the quarterfinals.

If India and Pakistan both win their quarterfinal matches and then also win their respective semifinals, they would meet in the men's gold-medal match.

The men's cricket final is scheduled for October 3.

What if both teams lose their semifinals?

There is another possible India-Pakistan scenario.

If both teams reach the semifinals but lose their respective matches, they would drop into the bronze-medal match.

In that case, India and Pakistan could face each other in the match for the bronze medal on October 3.

So there are two possible ways the rivals can meet:

If one team is eliminated before the semifinal stage, however, there will be no India-Pakistan match.

When does men's cricket begin?

The men's T20 cricket competition starts on September 24.

The Olympic Council of Asia has confirmed that cricket at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be played in the T20 format.

India enter the tournament as the defending men's Asian Games champions after winning the gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.

So when can fans expect India vs Pakistan?

At this stage, there is no guaranteed India-Pakistan match.

The earliest possible meeting comes only after both teams successfully navigate the quarterfinal stage. If both subsequently win their semifinals, the two sides will meet for gold. If both lose their semifinals, they could instead meet for bronze.

Therefore, October 3 is the key date for fans hoping to see India and Pakistan clash in the men's cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games.

The result of the quarterfinals and semifinals will ultimately decide whether this much-anticipated rivalry becomes a reality in Aichi-Nagoya.