Asia Cup 2025: Teams, schedule, venues, tickets and how to follow

When the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Asia Cup 2025 begins in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 9, seven nations will compete to defeat India as continental champions.

The tournament is traditionally held every two years, with Sri Lanka hosting the previous edition in 2023, when India beat the hosts to lift the crown in Colombo.

The Asia Cup will take place when and where?

The tournament will kick off on September 9 at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium with a match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong, and it will wrap up with the final match on September 28 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The two venues will host the entire tournament – comprising 19 matches – with Sharjah missing out.

What is the Asia Cup’s full match schedule?

Here is a list of all the 2025 tournament matches.

Dubai International Stadium, located in Dubai’s Sports City, has a capacity of 25, 000 and is the venue for the Asia Cup 2025 final]File: Altaf Qadri/AP Photo]

Why isn’t the Asia Cup being held in India?

According to the hosting rights schedule, India was supposed to host the tournament. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains the official host of the tournament, it is being played in the UAE due to the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

The two neighbors agreed to only play each other in neutral locations before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which will be held in Pakistan. The ACC decided to hold the entire tournament in the UAE due to logistical difficulties and the competition’s compact size.

Which teams are participating in the Asia Cup 2025, and what’s the format?

There are two groups of the eight participating countries:

Group A: Pakistan, Oman, UAE, India, Pakistan.
Group B: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong

The final will be played in the following two groups.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage, where all teams will compete against one another in a round-robin format following the initial group stage.

The top two teams at the end of the Super Four will qualify for the final.

Here is a list of the eight teams’ full squads.

The fight for Asian supremacy is now underway! 🏏
The UAE will host the ACC Men’s T20I Asia Cup on September 9 and 28!
Get ready for thrilling matchups as the top 8 teams in Asia face off for continental glory! #ACCMensAsiaCup2025 #ACC image https://twitter.com/Jzv4wuxna

What justifies the T20 format being used to play the Asia Cup?

The Asia Cup was played in the 50-over one-day international (ODI) format up until the 12th edition of the competition. However, the ACC decided to switch the format to Twenty20 for the 2016 edition to help teams prepare for the 2016 T20 World Cup, as the Asia Cup preceded the ICC event by a few weeks.

To match the ICC World Cup that follows, the Asia Cup has alternated between the two white-ball cricket formats, T20 and ODI.

The 50-over World Cup a month later followed India’s victory in Sri Lanka, and the T20 World Cup will follow in February 2026.

Why is Nepal not playing in the Asia Cup?

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the ACC’s permanent members were the only ones who were given five of the eight seats for the Asia Cup 2025. At the ACC Premier Cup 2024, Nepal placed fourth overall, with the other three going to the top three teams.

When is India vs Pakistan, and will they really face each other three times?

India and Pakistan have never forgotten how much attention they receive at international sporting events, particularly cricket tournaments.

Although organisers of the Asia Cup have done better by trying to eke out one more match by introducing a round-robin Super Four stage, it is no longer surprising when both teams are grouped together at mega events to ensure at least one India vs. Pakistan sellout game. This has resulted in both teams meeting twice in the past three Asia Cups.

Due to the teams’ never-meeting in the final, fate and results have not been as expected in the 16 previous tournaments.

In the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan could face off three times. Their first and most definite meeting is in Group A on September 14 in Dubai. They will meet again on September 21 at the same location if they both want to advance to the Super Four stage.

If both teams are selected, there is a chance for a third India vs. Pakistan match in two weeks at the September 28 final.

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - SEPTEMBER 10: Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan (R) , Virat Kohli of India (C) and Shadab Khan of Pakistan (L) during the Asia Cup Super Four match between India and Pakistan at R. Premadasa Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images) — Virat Kohli, centre, scored a century against Pakistan in the teams ‘ last meeting in the Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka]File: Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images]

Who should watch the most action during the Asia Cup in 2025?

Rashid Khan (Afghanistan): The Afghanistan captain consistently appears at the top of the list at the conclusion of any T20 competition he plays. He is frequently regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers. Hassid, who turns 27 when the Asia Cup begins, is unfazed to use his nearly ten years of T20 international experience as both an all-rounder and a leader.
Hasan Nawaz (Pakistan): Pakistan have often been criticised for their batters ‘ inability to match modern-day T20 batting strike rates, but in Nawaz, they seem to have found a solution to this problem. The 23-year-old has a T20 hundred and two fifties in his 16 matches, while also recording a strike rate of 174.
Top-order batters in Sri Lanka will need to consistently score if they want to compete with India for the seventh Asia Cup title and claim the record-equalling title. Nissanka could prove to be just the player to do it as he enters the tournament in excellent run-scoring form as an opener. In eight of his last ten T20 innings, including three fifty, he has allowed 30 or more runs.
Taskin Ahmed (Bangladesh): Due to his consistency in cross-formats, the right-arm pacer is a staple of the Bangladesh team. He is a standout performer in T20s, though, with a bowling strike rate of 17.5 and an average of 22. Taskin enters the tournament after a few successful home games against Pakistan and the Netherlands.

Which leading players are unable to compete in Asia?

Some of the biggest names in Asian cricket will be absent from the tournament. These are:

- Pakistan’s Babar Azam
- Muhammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
- Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz
- Indian Rishabh Pant
- Mohammed Siraj (India)
- Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews

What’s the history, and who are the past winners of the Asia Cup?

The ACC was established in 1983 to expand cricket across the continent and unite the regional teams through competitions like the Asia Cup. In the ODI competition, India won the first edition, which took place in the UAE in 1984, beating Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The tournament remained biennial until 1990, when Pakistan pulled out over the fractious nature of its relationship with India over the conflict in Kashmir. The South Asian giants’ Asia Cup, which had begun in 1993, were canceled because politics continued to be a part of sport. The UAE has hosted the tournament twice as a neutral host in the past three editions, including the 2008 edition, while India made the 2008 trip to Pakistan.

Holders India are the most successful team, having won the title on eight occasions. With six titles to their name, Sri Lanka are not far behind.

Although Afghanistan and Bangladesh have never won the Asia Cup, this event may give them their best chance to do so in 2025 as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, who have two-time champions, struggled to do so in 2025.

Here’s the complete list of past champions: