How Can Nepal Qualify for Asian Games 2026 Quarter-Finals? Qualification Scenario

Nepal men's cricket team registered a much-needed win in their first match of their Asian Games against Afghanistan on September 25 at the Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin. In the high profile Group A match, Nepal defeated Afghanistan by 5 wickets to make a strong claim for the quarter-final stage.

With this win, Nepal qualification scenario for Asian Games quarterfinals has become slightly easier. They will next face Japan on September 26 and will give their best shot to qualify for the next stage.

How Can Nepal Qualify for Asian Games 2026 Quarter-Finals?

After the win over Afghanistan, Nepal cricket team's path for the Asian Games quarter-finals has become even simpler. They now need to avoid a heavy defeat in their last match against Japan.

However, Nepal will start as favorites to win this match. They will be looking to register a win in the JPN vs NEP match and top their group, which will see them play against Pakistan on September 28 in the Asian Games men's cricket quarterfinals.

They can make it to the next stage even if they finish second in the group. In this case, Nepal cricket team opponent in Asian Games quarterfinal will be India. Looking at the nature of the opponent, the Himalayan nation is likely to prefer Pakistan rather than India, which is arugably the best T20 team going around.

Nepal Favorites to Qualify

Even if Nepal loses the match against Japan on September 26, they are in a good position to qualify for the next stage. They just need to ensure that the defeat should not be a big one. During the AFG vs NEP match, they chased down the target with more than two overs to spare, which helped their Net Run Rate.

Coming to the Nepal match date in Asian games quarterfinal, it will be played on September 28 if they qualify. If they finish on first place, they will play at 5:30 AM IST. However, if they finish at the second spot, Nepal will face India from 10:30 AM IST.