India and Pakistan will face each other in Group A at the 2025 Men’s Asian Cup to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28. Their group stage meeting will take place on September 14 in Dubai*, with two more potential games between them to reach the final. Dubai, which will also host the final, will host 11 games, while Abu Dhabi will host eight matches.
Last week, the dates for the 17th tournament were announced by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Considering the T20 World Cup, the tournament will be played in the T20I format and will feature eight teams for the first time (two more than the previous edition).
The top two teams from each group will advance to another four-team group for the second stage, with the top two teams from that group advancing to the final on 28 September.
The venue and dates for the tournament were finalized at the ACC’s annual general meeting in Dhaka last Thursday, where the Asian Cup was one of the key items on the members’ agenda. The fate of the tournament was briefly in doubt after a military skirmish between India and Pakistan in May. Following the AGM in Dhaka, Naqvi addressed a press conference regarding the imminent announcement of dates for the Asian Cup, although he did not elaborate on specific details at the time.
The India-Pakistan match is by far the most financially lucrative match of the Asian Cup. The tournament format and group berths make at least two India-Pakistan matches likely, the second of which will take place on September 21 – also in Dubai – if it goes ahead. It also leaves open the possibility of a third meeting in the final in Dubai on September 28. However, there has not yet been a final between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
India is the official host of the tournament, but following an agreement between the BCCI and the PCB earlier this year, for tournaments held in India or Pakistan, the other side will be given a neutral host for a three-year period. The agreement was concluded on the eve of the Champions Cup, which was held in Pakistan earlier this year. India played all their games, including the game against hosts Pakistan, in Dubai. The final, which India qualified for and won, was also held in Dubai.
The defending champions are India, having defeated Sri Lanka in the final of the previous tournament in 2023. Sri Lanka won the previous T20I tournament by defeating Pakistan in the final in 2022.
*17:00 GMT, August 2: The story has been updated after the ACC released a detailed schedule.
