India–Pakistan Match in the Asian Games

The India-Pakistan cricket clash at the 2026 Asian Games could be more than just another match, with the two teams potentially meeting only in a medal contest. In the men’s event, India and Pakistan are the top-seeded sides and have qualified directly for the quarter-finals. India will play in Quarter-final 2 and Pakistan in Quarter-final 1 on September 28. The draw rules out a semi-final meeting between the two sides.

If both teams reach the final, they could face each other for the gold medal on October 3. If they lose their respective semi-finals, an India-Pakistan clash could instead take place in the bronze-medal playoff. A similar possibility exists in the women’s event, where the rivals can meet only in the final or bronze-medal match. The cricket competition will be played in the T20 format, with Shreyas Iyer leading India’s men and Harmanpreet Kaur captaining the women’s team.