India will take on Afghanistan in the men's cricket quarter-final at the Asian Games 2026 after the results of the last-eight fixtures were finalized on Saturday. The visitors to the UAE finished second in Group A, and they are set to face the Shreyas Iyer-led Indian side in the tie.
The rankings were decided after the Afghanistan vs. Nepal match was washed out due to rain on Saturday, September 26. Nepal, which had defeated Afghanistan on Friday, finished second in the group. As a result, Nepal will play Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals, while Afghanistan will face India.
Asian Games 2026 cricket quarter-final bracket confirmed: India vs Afghanistan
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have qualified for the quarter-finals, although the other teams fought it out for their spots in the knockout stage. India and Bangladesh have come with full-strength squads.
The confirmed quarter-final matches are India vs Afghanistan and Nepal vs Sri Lanka. Pakistan and Bangladesh have also qualified for the last eight, but the details of their matches were not given.
Nepal's win against Afghanistan on Friday was key to deciding the group, but because the Afghanistan-Nepal match was eventually abandoned due to rain, Afghanistan were unable to finish above Nepal. The result meant they both secured their places in the knockout rounds, as well as their quarter-final opponents.
India will be looking to defend the gold medal they won during the previous Asian Games, which took place in Hangzhou in 2023. They won the trophy in Hangzhou after sending their second-string team, but the Men in Blue will be aiming to win another Asian Games cricket trophy.
This time, India have come with a much stronger team under Shreyas Iyer, who the selectors hope will win gold again.
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Who is in India's Asian Games 2026 squad?
India have drawn up a powerful squad for the Asian Games, naming Tilak Varma as the deputy to Shreyas Iyer. They have also included several well-known international cricketers in the squad, including Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and the teenage all-rounder, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
India will be looking to win again when they face off against Afghanistan in the quarter-finals, and a place in the semi-finals is at stake.
One of the teams that have come through the direct qualifiers is Pakistan, who have asked their skipper Sahibzada Farhan to lead the side. The squad does not include any of the usual names, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.
Bangladesh have also drawn up a full-strength squad for the tournament, and with India and Bangladesh coming out with their strongest possible squads, the Asian Games knockout rounds are set to have a tough battle for the medals.