Delhi: A news has emerged for the cricket fans of India and Pakistan from the 2026 Asian Games, which may leave them disappointed. Actually, in the 2026 Asian Games, the teams of India and Pakistan will not face each other in the league stage. This means that this time the fans will have to wait directly for the medal match to watch the match between the two teams. Generally, India-Pakistan clash in Asia Cup and ICC tournaments is seen only in the league stage, but the format of Asian Games is different. Here both India and Pakistan have got direct place in the quarter finals. India will play in Quarter Final-2, while Pakistan will play in Quarter Final-1 and both the matches will be played on September 28.
Now the biggest question is when will there be a clash between India and Pakistan? If India wins Quarter Final-2 and Pakistan wins Quarter Final-1, then both the teams will reach the semi-finals. The semi-final matches will be played on October 1. If both India and Pakistan win their respective semi-finals, then both can face each other for the gold medal on October 3. At the same time, even if one of the two teams loses in the semi-finals, there will still be a possibility of India and Pakistan coming face to face. Both the teams can face each other in the third-place playoff for the bronze medal. This means that there will be no India-Pakistan match in the league stage, but in case of excellent performance of both the teams, fans can see this high-voltage rivalry in the medal match.
The 2026 Asian Games will be held from September 19 to October 4, while the cricket competition will run from September 17 to October 3. The competition will start with women's cricket and its final will be played on 22 September. After this, men's competition will be held, in which a total of 10 teams will participate. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have got direct entry into the quarter-finals, while Afghanistan, Nepal, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Malaysia and Oman will have to progress from the group stage. Now the eyes of the fans are fixed on October 3, because if India and Pakistan reach the final by winning their respective matches, then this match for the gold medal can become the biggest cricket clash of the Asian Games.