Pakistan, India in same group as schedule for Asian Cup 2025 announced

• ACC president confirms dates for Asia Cup 2025.
• Group A consists Pakistan, India, UAE, and Oman.
• Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan placed in Group B. 

The schedule for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 has been announced, with arch-rivals Pakistan and India being placed in the same group.

According to the grouping revealed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Group A will consist of Pakistan, India, UAE, and Oman. Group B features Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.

The much-anticipated tournament is set to begin on September 9 and will be staged in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), ACC President Mohsin Naqvi announced. 

"I am delighted to confirm the dates for the ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025 in UAE," Naqvi, who also holds the coveted position of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, said in a post on X.

The ACC president, in his post, announced that the prestigious tournament would take place from September 9th to 28th. "We look forward to a spectacular display of cricket," he said, adding that a detailed schedule will be issued soon.

Naqvi's announcement comes around 48 hours after the ACC wrapped up its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Dhaka — where all 25 member nations were in attendance.

After initially threatening to boycott the meeting, the BCCI eventually joined the proceedings virtually. Vice-president Rajeev Shukla represented the board at the meeting. 

"We have decided to work together for the betterment of cricket," Naqvi, who chaired the meeting, had affirmed.

The upcoming edition will follow the T20 format, serving as a preparatory event for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February.

The five full members of the ACC — Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — earned automatic qualification to the tournament.

They are to be joined by Hong Kong, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — the teams that secured their spots by finishing in the top three of the ACC men's Premier Cup.

The eight-team tournament will get underway on September 9 with a curtain-raiser between Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

Pakistan, on the other hand, will start their campaign against Oman on September 12 before taking on defending champions India on September 14.

The green shirts’ remaining group-stage match is scheduled on September 17 against hosts UAE.

Upon completion of the group stage, the top two teams from each pool will qualify for the Super Four, meaning Pakistan and India may face each other once more in the Asia Cup on September 21.

The top two teams in the standings after the conclusion of the Super Four stage will qualify for the final, scheduled to be played on September 28.

The previous edition of the event was in a 50-over format, but this year´s tournament was scheduled as a shorter-format event in preparation for next year´s T20 World Cup in India.

Originally awarded to India, the 2025 edition has now been shifted to the UAE due to ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan. Despite holding hosting rights, India will not stage the event after the PCB refused to send its team across the border.

Earlier this year, both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and PCB reached a mutual agreement not to play in each other’s countries, prompting the need for a neutral venue.

The UAE has since emerged as the preferred host, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi expected to stage the majority of matches.

The UAE has a successful track record in organising marquee cricket events — including past Asia Cups, the IPL, and World Cup qualifiers — along with its world-class infrastructure.

While other potential venues were briefly considered, they were deemed less viable due to diplomatic concerns, such as India’s recent trade tensions with Bangladesh and the fallout from the Pakistan-India clash cancellation during the World Championship of Legends.