The Women’s Asia Cup returns in 2026 with eight teams chasing continental glory in Dubai.
India go in as the tournament’s most successful side but arrive as challengers rather than champions after Sri Lanka’s historic first title in 2024.
Here is everything a cricket fan needs to know, from the exact schedule down to squad lists and broadcast details.
Quick Facts Summary
- Dates: August 28 – September 13, 2026
- Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE (single-venue tournament)
- Format: T20I, group stage plus semi-finals and final
- Teams: 8 (India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Indonesia)
- Defending champions: Sri Lanka
- Most successful team: India (7 titles)
- India vs Pakistan date: September 5, 2026
- Final date: September 13, 2026
- Total matches: 15
When Is the Women’s Asia Cup 2026?
The tournament runs from August 28 to September 13, 2026, spanning roughly two and a half weeks of T20I cricket. This makes it the first major international women’s tournament to follow directly after The Hundred wraps up in England, and it arrives just weeks after this year’s edition of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
Where Is the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Being Held?
Every single match, all 15 of them including the final, will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. Unlike previous editions that moved between multiple venues within a host nation, the 2026 tournament uses one stadium for the entire event, which should make broadcast logistics and travel considerably simpler for teams and fans alike.
How Many Teams Are Playing and What Is the Format?
Eight teams are competing this year, split into two groups of four:
Group A: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong China
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (hosts), Indonesia
Each team plays the other three sides in its group once during the league stage. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals, with the two semi-final winners meeting in the grand final on September 13. Indonesia are the newest addition to the competition, making their Women’s Asia Cup debut this year after coming through the qualification pathway.
Full Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Schedule and Fixtures
Here is the complete match-by-match schedule:
- Thailand vs Hong Kong China – August 28, 2026
- Sri Lanka vs UAE – August 29, 2026
- India vs Thailand – August 30, 2026
- Bangladesh vs Indonesia – August 31, 2026
- Pakistan vs Thailand – September 1, 2026
- Sri Lanka vs Indonesia – September 2, 2026
- India vs Hong Kong China – September 3, 2026
- UAE vs Indonesia – September 4, 2026
- India vs Pakistan – September 5, 2026
- Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh – September 6, 2026
- Pakistan vs Hong Kong China – September 7, 2026
- Bangladesh vs UAE – September 8, 2026
- Semi-Final 1 – September 9, 2026
- Semi-Final 2 – September 10, 2026
- Grand Final – September 13, 2026
Match timings are generally scheduled for the evening, played under lights at Dubai International Stadium, with reported start times ranging from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM local UAE time depending on the source and stage of the tournament. Since UAE time sits one and a half hours behind Indian Standard Time, fans in India should expect matches to begin roughly between 8:00 PM and 9:30 PM IST. It is worth double-checking exact start times closer to each fixture, since official confirmation from the Asian Cricket Council typically follows a few weeks before the tournament.
When Is the India W vs Pakistan W Asia Cup Match?
The marquee fixture of the group stage, India vs Pakistan, is scheduled for September 5, 2026, and it is expected to be the single most-watched match of the entire tournament given the rivalry between the two sides.
When Is the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Final?
The final is set for September 13, 2026, at Dubai International Stadium, capping off a 17-day tournament.
Who Are the Defending Champions?
Sri Lanka enter as defending champions after a landmark 2024 campaign in which they beat India by eight wickets in the final at Dambulla, winning their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup title. Captain Chamari Athapaththu was named Player of the Tournament after scoring 304 runs, including a century and two fifties, and Sri Lanka’s win ended India’s stranglehold on the trophy.
Which Team Has Won the Most Women’s Asia Cup Titles?
India remain the most successful side in the tournament’s history, with seven titles from the previous nine editions. India won the first six editions outright before Bangladesh caused a shock in 2018, and while India reclaimed the trophy in 2022, they were beaten in the 2024 final by Sri Lanka. A win in Dubai in 2026 would give India a record-extending eighth title.
Is This the 9th, 10th or 6th Edition?
You may see different numbers floating around online, and both are technically correct depending on how you count. The Women’s Asia Cup has been running since 2004, making 2026 the 10th edition overall. However, the first four editions (2004, 2005, 2006, 2008) were played in the 50-over ODI format, and the competition only switched to the T20I format in 2012. Counting only the T20 editions (2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2026), this year’s tournament is the 6th T20 edition of the Women’s Asia Cup.
India Women’s Squad for Asia Cup 2026
The BCCI has officially confirmed India’s 15-member squad, with Harmanpreet Kaur retaining the captaincy despite India’s group-stage exit at the 2026 T20 World Cup, and Smriti Mandhana continuing as vice-captain.
Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Bharati Fulmali, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), G. Kamalini (wicketkeeper), Arundhati Reddy, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Renuka Thakur, Nandini Sharma, Kranti Gaud
Reserves: Pratika Rawal, Uma Chetry (wicketkeeper), Vaishnavi Sharma, Sayali Satghare, Minnu Mani
A notable inclusion is 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter G. Kamalini, rewarded for consistent domestic performances and replacing Yastika Bhatia in the squad. Leg-spinning all-rounder Prema Rawat also comes in as a replacement for the injured Shreyanka Patil, who has not yet recovered from an ankle ligament injury.
Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Other Squads
At the time of writing, only India have officially confirmed their full Asia Cup 2026 squad. Sri Lanka are widely expected to be led once again by Chamari Athapaththu, who has stated her intention to continue playing through at least the next World Cup cycle, while Pakistan are likely to be captained by Fatima Sana, who impressed with both bat and ball at the 2026 T20 World Cup and was named in that tournament’s Team of the Tournament. Official squad announcements from Sri Lanka Cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the other participating boards are expected in the weeks leading up to the tournament. This section will need updating once those squads are confirmed.
Where to Watch the Women’s Asia Cup 2026?
Official broadcast and streaming rights for the 2026 edition had not yet been confirmed at the time of writing. Based on precedent, though, here is what fans can reasonably expect:
- In India, recent Women’s Asia Cup and Women’s T20 World Cup editions have been broadcast on the Star Sports network, with live streaming available through the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
- In Pakistan, matches are typically shown on PTV Sports and other domestic sports broadcasters, with streaming through official digital partners.
- In Sri Lanka, past tournaments have been carried on local sports channels along with streaming options confirmed closer to the event.
- Globally, the Asian Cricket Council typically also makes select matches available through its own digital channels for regions without a dedicated broadcast partner.
Fans should check the ACC’s official announcements and their local broadcaster listings in the weeks before the tournament for confirmed channel and streaming details.
Conclusion
This edition arrives at an interesting moment for several of the competing nations. India are looking to bounce back after a disappointing group-stage exit at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, despite having won the ODI World Cup in 2025. Pakistan will be testing a squad that performed well above expectations at the recent World Cup, with Fatima Sana emerging as one of the standout all-rounders in the region.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be defending a title they only won for the first time two years ago, giving them plenty of motivation to prove 2024 was not a one-off. With Indonesia debuting and the United Arab Emirates hosting on home soil, the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup promises a genuine mix of established rivalries and fresh storylines across its 15 matches in Dubai.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
