Women’s Asia Cup 2026 — Complete Guide | Schedule, Groups, Teams & India vs Pakistan Date

The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 begins on August 28 in Dubai — and the match everyone is waiting for lands on September 5.

India vs Pakistan. Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Under lights. The Asian Cricket Council confirmed the full schedule on August 6 and it delivers exactly what Asian women’s cricket needed — a marquee contest inside a genuinely competitive eight-team field where the top players from across the continent battle for one title across 17 days. The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 runs until September 13 with all 15 matches played at a single venue under lights at 6:30 PM UAE time (8 PM IST). Eight teams. Two groups. One champion. India have won this tournament three times in T20 format — 2012, 2016 and 2022. Sri Lanka won the previous edition. Bangladesh won it in 2018. Indonesia make their debut this year. The ACC’s own description of the September 5 India-Pakistan clash said it plainly — “the marquee group-stage fixture.” That is not marketing language. That is an accurate description of the biggest women’s cricket match in Asia between August 28 and September 13. Here is everything you need — every match, every group, every team’s path to the September 13 final.

Quick Facts — the continental tournament

Groups — Who Is in Each Group

Group A

Group B

Group A has the marquee fixture — India vs Pakistan on September 5. Group B has the defending champions showdown — Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh on September 6. Both groups carry genuine competitive interest beyond the headline clashes.

Indonesia debuting is the development story worth celebrating. They qualified through the ACC regional process — first time Indonesian women’s cricket has reached the full continental tournament. Their three group matches against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and UAE are their first ever at this level.

Complete Schedule — All 15 Matches (IST)

Group Stage

Knockout Stage

All matches at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

India — Three Titles and Counting

India are the most successful team in Women’s Asia Cup T20 history. Three titles from six T20 editions. They arrive at this tournament having lost the 2024 final to Sri Lanka — a result that sits quietly in the background of every India selection and preparation decision ahead of August 30.

India’s group stage fixtures:

• August 30 — vs Thailand
• September 3 — vs Hong Kong (China)
• September 5 — vs Pakistan

Thailand and Hong Kong are the expected group-stage wins. September 5 is where India’s campaign begins in earnest.

Win the Pakistan match and India almost certainly top Group A — entering the semifinal against the Group B runners-up. Lose it and they come in as Group A runners-up — facing the Group B winners, which almost certainly means Sri Lanka. The September 5 result shapes the entire knockout path.

Smriti Mandhana opens. Harmanpreet Kaur leads. Deepti Sharma brings all-round quality. The bowling attack has pace through Renuka Singh and spin through Deepti and Sneh Rana — both relevant in Dubai’s evening conditions where the surface assists off-spin and leg-spin from the middle overs.

India’s three-title history in this tournament is the strongest credential in the field. Sri Lanka winning the last edition is the only counter-argument.

India vs Pakistan — September 5 — Everything You Need to Know

The ACC called it “the marquee group-stage fixture.” They were right.

Every this tournament conversation circles back to September 5. The India-Pakistan match is the tournament’s emotional and commercial centrepiece regardless of what group-stage results happen around it.

Pakistan Women have improved significantly over the last four years. Bismah Maroof brings international experience. Fatima Sana is a genuine pace threat — her ability to hit early swing in the powerplay makes her dangerous against any top order, including India’s. Nida Dar’s off-spin in Dubai conditions — where the surface helps spin from the middle overs and the pitch slows as the innings progresses — gives Pakistan a match-winning bowling option in the second half of any India innings.

Dubai’s dew factor is the tactical context. Dew typically settles from the 12th over of the second innings in September under lights. Chasing teams get better ball behaviour. The team that bats first needs 145-plus to defend comfortably. Both captains will want to bowl first — the toss matters here.

In the knockout format that follows, Group A and Group B paths cross at the semifinal. The difference between topping the group and finishing second determines who India or Pakistan would face on September 10 or 11. The group match shapes everything that follows.

Sri Lanka — Defending What They Won

Sri Lanka beat India in the 2024 Women’s Asia Cup final. They arrive at the 2026 edition as defending champions.

Group B is their path to another final — and it is more navigable than Group A. Their most dangerous opponent in the group is Bangladesh on September 6. That match will shape which team enters the knockouts as Group B winners and which comes in as runners-up.

Chamari Athapaththu remains the key player. Her ability to dominate powerplay overs and set large totals from the opening position has been the foundation of Sri Lanka’s recent form. The bowling attack — combining pace and spin — is built for conditions like Dubai’s where the surface evolves across an innings.

Defending champions defending at a single neutral venue where every team gets equal preparation time is a fair test. Sri Lanka earned this title. Retaining it requires doing it again against opponents who spent the intervening two years studying exactly how they won.

Bangladesh — The 2018 Champions Still in Contention

Bangladesh won the 2018 Women’s Asia Cup. Their women’s cricket programme has been building steadily since then — not yet at the level of India or Sri Lanka consistently, but capable of winning a knockout match against any team in the field on a good day.

Nigar Sultana Joty captains. Rumana Ahmed and Fahima Khatun bring spin bowling experience. Their Group B campaign — Indonesia (August 31), UAE (September 8) and Sri Lanka (September 6) — has two winnable matches and one against the defending champions where they need to be at their best.

If Bangladesh top Group B by beating Sri Lanka, they face Group A runners-up in the semifinal rather than Group A winners. That specific draw advantage could be the difference between a semifinal exit and a final appearance.

Indonesia — The Debut That Matters

Indonesia making the Women’s Asia Cup is not a small achievement.

They qualified through the ACC regional process in Southeast Asia. Three other nations competed for that qualification place. Indonesia won it. This is their first Women’s Asia Cup appearance.

Their three group matches — Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE — are against significantly more experienced international sides. No one expects Indonesia to win the group or advance to the knockouts. What they will do is gain the specific experience that only competing at this level provides — facing international-standard bowling, operating under broadcast cameras and crowd attention, playing on a prepared international surface in a stadium-level environment.

The next generation of Indonesian women’s cricketers will grow up knowing their national team played in the the T20 Asia Cup. That matters more than the results in the group stage.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium — What to Expect

All 15 matches. One venue. Same pitch. Every day for 17 days.

Dubai International Cricket Stadium is one of the most used cricket venues in the world. Its surface characteristics are well-documented — pace on the first morning, increasing assistance for spin from the middle overs, dew settling in evening sessions from approximately over 12 of the second innings.

The single-venue format creates specific dynamics. Teams who adapt early to the surface conditions carry that knowledge through the group stage into the knockouts. Spinners who learn which lengths work on which days develop advantages as the tournament progresses. The team that best understands the Dubai surface by the semifinal stage is the team most likely to win the final.

Evening starts at 6:30 PM UAE make every match a night fixture. The crowd atmosphere at Dubai’s stadium under lights for the India-Pakistan match on September 5 will be the loudest the venue has been for a women’s cricket match in years.

Title History — Women’s T20 Asia Cup

India: 3 titles — 2012, 2016, 2022 Sri Lanka: 1 title — 2024 (defending) Bangladesh: 1 title — 2018 Pakistan: 1 title — 2014

How to Watch — Live Streaming

All matches 6:30 PM UAE = 8:00 PM IST = 2:30 PM GMT = 4:30 PM IST + UAE difference

Women’s Asia Cup 2026 – Complete Guide | Schedule, Groups, Teams & India vs Pakistan Date

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FAQ — the event

Q1: When and where is the the Asia Cup?

The the competition runs from August 28 to September 13, 2026 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE. All 15 matches — 12 group stage, 2 semifinals and the final — are played at this single venue. Every match starts at 6:30 PM UAE (8:00 PM IST) under lights.

Q2: When is India vs Pakistan in the this edition?

India vs Pakistan is on September 5, 2026 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium — start time 6:30 PM UAE (8 PM IST). The ACC described it as “the marquee group-stage fixture.” Both teams are in Group A alongside Thailand and Hong Kong (China). India’s previous group fixtures are August 30 vs Thailand and September 3 vs Hong Kong.

Q3: Who are the defending champions of the tournament?

Sri Lanka are the defending Women’s Asia Cup T20 champions after winning the 2024 edition by beating India in the final. India are the most successful team overall with three T20 titles in 2012, 2016 and 2022. Bangladesh won the 2018 edition. Pakistan won the 2014 edition.

Q4: What is the the 2026 edition format?

Eight teams split into two groups of four. Each team plays three group-stage matches — one against each other team in their group. The top two from Group A and top two from Group B advance to the semifinals on September 10 and 11. The semifinal winners meet in the final on September 13. Group A winners face Group B runners-up in SF1; Group B winners face Group A runners-up in SF2.

Q5: Which team is making their Women’s Asia Cup debut in 2026?

Indonesia are making their Women’s Asia Cup debut in the 2026 edition after qualifying through the ACC Southeast Asia regional qualification process. They are placed in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and hosts UAE. Their debut appearances mark a milestone for women’s cricket development across Southeast Asia.

Q6: Where can I watch this competition live in India?

In India, the the T20 event is available on JioHotstar and FanCode for live streaming, and Sony Sports Network for TV broadcast. All 15 matches start at 8:00 PM IST. The final on September 13 will also be at 8 PM IST from Dubai International Cricket Stadium.