Asian Games: India to face Afghanistan in quarter-finals in repeat of the last final

India will face Afghanistan in the men's cricket quarter-finals at the 2026 Asian Games, setting up a repeat of the gold-medal clash from the 2023 Hangzhou Games. The quarter-final line-up was confirmed after Nepal and Afghanistan advanced from Group A, while Malaysia and Hong Kong, China progressed from Group B. The four seeded teams — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka — had already secured direct entry into the last eight. The quarter-finals will be played on September 28 and 29, with India taking on Afghanistan on September 28. India and Afghanistan Meet Again India and Afghanistan will renew their Asian Games rivalry after their meeting in the gold-medal match at Hangzhou in October 2023. India won that contest to claim the men's cricket gold medal, while Bangladesh secured bronze after defeating Pakistan in the third-place playoff. India enter the knockout stage as the defending champions and were among the four teams seeded directly into the quarter-finals based on their standing in the qualification system. Afghanistan, meanwhile, progressed through the preliminary stage after finishing among the top two teams in Group A. Quarter-Final Line-Up Confirmed The four quarter-finals have now been set: Hong Kong, China vs Pakistan — September 28 Afghanistan vs India — September 28 Nepal vs Sri Lanka — September 29 Bangladesh vs Malaysia — September 29 The tournament format saw Afghanistan, Nepal and Japan compete in Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman were placed in Group B. The top two teams from each group advanced to the quarter-finals alongside the four seeded nations. Nepal and Afghanistan Eliminate Japan Afghanistan and Nepal progressed from Group A, ending Japan's hopes of reaching the knockout stage. Afghanistan opened their campaign with a victory over Japan before losing to Nepal. Nepal's final group match against Japan was washed out without a result, which was enough to confirm both Nepal and Afghanistan in the quarter-finals. The washout also brought an end to the hosts' campaign. In Group B, Malaysia finished at the top while Hong Kong, China secured the second qualification spot. Oman's final match against Malaysia was abandoned because of rain, allowing Malaysia to advance as group winners and leaving Oman out of the competition. Rain Threatens Quarter-Finals Weather could become a major factor during the knockout stage. Rain already affected the final preliminary-round matches, with Japan's game against Nepal unable to produce a result and Malaysia's match against Oman abandoned without a ball being bowled. The forecast has raised further concerns for the quarter-finals, with a high chance of rain expected on both September 28 and 29. According to the information reported by ESPNcricinfo, the forecast for Monday carries a 91% chance of daytime rain and a 22% chance of thunderstorms, while Tuesday has an 89% chance of rain and an 18% chance of thundershowers. If a knockout match is washed out without a result, the higher-seeded team, determined by the official ICC T20I rankings, is set to advance. Semi-Finals and Medal Matches Ahead The tournament schedule provides a break from the potentially difficult quarter-final weather, with the semi-finals scheduled for October 1 and the medal matches on October 3. The semi-final line-up will depend on the quarter-final results, while the gold-medal match will conclude the men's cricket competition. For India, the immediate focus will be on Afghanistan and another meeting with a side they defeated in the previous Asian Games final. With a place in the semi-finals at stake, the quarter-final will be the defending champions' first men's cricket match of the 2026 Asian Games.