Who Will Be India's Opponent in Asian Games Quarter-Final? Scenarios Explained

India are all set to begin their defense of the Gold Medal in the Japan Asian Games 2026 on the 28th of September at the Korogi Sports Park. The Men in Blue will be playing the team that will finish second in Group A, which features Japan, Nepal, and Afghanistan. The Indian cricket team will look to emulate the Women's team, which won the Gold medal by defeating Sri Lanka a few days back.

The men's qualification system is different from the women, as there are ten teams participating in the tournament. India had booked their place in the quarter-finals owing to their continental ranking, and the other teams that qualified were Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Who Will Be Indian Cricket Team Opponent in Asian Games Quarterfinal?

Group A features three teams in a close competition and they are Nepal, Afghanistan and Japan. India will face the team that finishes second in this group. Currently, Nepal are at the top of the table.

On September 24, Afghanistan defeated Japan by 48 runs and on September 25th, Nepal defeated Afghanistan by 5 wickets, causing a small upset. Nepal are scheduled to play Japan on 26th September and that will ultimately decide who will India play in their quarter-final on 28th September 2026.

So if Nepal beats Japan, they will top the group and Afghanistan wil play India in the quarter-final. In this case, Japan will be knocked out of the tournament. But, if Japan beats Nepal, then the three teams will be tied on points and then India quarterfinal opponent in Asian Games 2026 will be decided on the net run-rate. It looks likely that India will face Afghanistan in their quarter-final fixture but if Japan wants a rematch, they will have to defeat Nepal by a big margin to fix their net run-rate.

Is India vs Japan on the Cards Again?

While Afghanistan look like the frontrunners to play India, Japan cannot be underestimated. The hosts almost pulled off an upset against the best T20 team just a few days ago and will give their all during the match on September 26 against Nepal.

However, a win won't be enough for them and they need it at a big margin. If Japan finish at the second spot in Group A, they will face India in their Asian Games men's cricket quarterfinal. There is also a small chance of Japan facing Pakistan if they manage to finish at the first place, however, they will need massive effort for this to happen.