The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 kicks off on August 28 and runs through September 13, with all 15 matches packed into a single venue, the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Eight teams will fight for continental supremacy, and India enter as seven-time champions looking to snatch the trophy back from Sri Lanka.
This guide covers the complete schedule, groups, confirmed squads, past winners and the storylines that matter before a ball is bowled.
Quick Facts: Women’s Asia Cup 2026 at a Glance
Here’s the tournament in one table before we get into the detail.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Edition | 10th overall, 6th in the T20 format |
| Dates | August 28 to September 13, 2026 |
| Venue | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE (single venue for all matches) |
| Teams | 8 Teams : India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Indonesia |
| Format | Group stage (round robin) followed by semi-finals and a final |
| Organiser | Asian Cricket Council (ACC) |
| Defending champion | Sri Lanka (won in 2024) |
| Most successful team | India, with seven titles |
| Match timing | 6:30 PM local time, which is 8:00 PM IST |
Full Schedule: Women’s Asia Cup 2026
All 15 matches, including the semi-finals and the final, get played under lights at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Here’s the full rundown, group stage first.
Group Stage Fixtures
| Match | Date | Fixture | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 28 | Thailand vs Hong Kong, China | A |
| 2 | Aug 29 | Sri Lanka vs UAE | B |
| 3 | Aug 30 | India vs Thailand | A |
| 4 | Aug 31 | Bangladesh vs Indonesia | B |
| 5 | Sep 1 | Pakistan vs Thailand | A |
| 6 | Sep 2 | Sri Lanka vs Indonesia | B |
| 7 | Sep 3 | India vs Hong Kong, China | A |
| 8 | Sep 4 | UAE vs Indonesia | B |
| 9 | Sep 5 | India vs Pakistan | A |
| 10 | Sep 6 | Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | B |
| 11 | Sep 7 | Pakistan vs Hong Kong, China | A |
| 12 | Sep 8 | Bangladesh vs UAE | B |
Knockout Stage
| Match | Date | Fixture |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-final 1 | Sep 10 | Group A winner vs Group B runner-up |
| Semi-final 2 | Sep 11 | Group B winner vs Group A runner-up |
| Final | Sep 13 | Winner of SF1 vs Winner of SF2 |
A quick caveat before you plan your evenings around this: fixture sequencing sometimes shifts if the ACC finalises broadcast slots late, so treat the dates above as accurate to the official schedule announcement and double check closer to each matchday.
Women’s Asia Cup 2026: Groups and Teams
Here are the 2 Groups for Women’s Asia Cup 2026:
Group A: India, Pakistan, Thailand, Hong Kong China
India lead this group as the tournament’s most decorated side, and Pakistan remain their oldest rival in this competition. Thailand and Hong Kong, China round out the pool.
Both associate sides get a rare shot at testing themselves against two of Asia’s strongest full-member teams.
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE, Indonesia
Defending champions Sri Lanka anchor Group B alongside Bangladesh, the only other team to have won the title, back in 2018. Hosts UAE get home comforts, while Indonesia make their Women’s Asia Cup debut after coming through qualification.
That alone makes Group B worth watching, even before a ball gets bowled.
Squads: Who’s Playing
Here are the Squads for the Women’s Asia Cup 2026:
India Women’s Squad (Confirmed)
The BCCI announced India’s 15-member squad in early August, with Harmanpreet Kaur continuing as captain and Smriti Mandhana staying on as her deputy.
It’s largely the same core group that played the 2026 T20 World Cup, with G. Kamalini coming in as backup wicketkeeper in place of Yastika Bhatia. All-rounders Amanjot Kaur and Kashvee Gautam miss out through injury.
The squad includes Harmanpreet Kaur as captain and Smriti Mandhana as vice-captain and is a batter for main. Along with Mandhana, at the top of the order is opening batter Shafali Verma and at No. 4 Jemimah Rodrigues and Bharti Fulmali occupy the middle order as specialist batters.
The All-Rounder Deepti Sharma, with Wicketkeeper-Batters Richa Ghosh and G. Kamalini.
The bowling comprises pace and spin.
The Pacers are Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Thakur, Nandni Sharma, and Kranti Gaud. The Spinners are Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav and Sree Charani.
The Other Seven Squads
As of this writing, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Hong Kong China, the UAE and Indonesia hadn’t formally announced their squads yet.
Their boards typically confirm line-ups closer to the tournament, so this section is worth revisiting once every team’s list is official.
Women’s Asia Cup History: Who’s Won What
The tournament started small in 2004 as a two-team ODI series between India and Sri Lanka, and India won every game. It expanded to eight teams and switched to the T20 format in 2012, which is when things got genuinely competitive.
The ODI Years (2004 to 2008)
| Year | Host | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sri Lanka | India |
| 2005-06 | Pakistan | India |
| 2006 | India | India |
| 2008 | Sri Lanka | India |
The T20 Years (2012 to 2024)
| Year | Host | Champion | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | China | India | Pakistan |
| 2016 | Thailand | India | Pakistan |
| 2018 | Malaysia | Bangladesh | India |
| 2022 | Bangladesh | India | Sri Lanka |
| 2024 | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | India |
Nine editions played so far, and only three names have ever made it onto the trophy: India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Everyone else is still trying to gatecrash that party.
Storylines to Watch in Women’s Asia Cup 2026
Here are the key Storylines to watchout for:
India’s Redemption Mission
India crashed out in the group stage of the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after a loss to Australia in their final group match at Lord’s on June 28, despite winning three of their five games. That defeat stung, especially coming barely eight months after India lifted the 2025 ODI World Cup on home soil. The Asia Cup is the first real chance to put that memory behind them.
Can Sri Lanka Defend the Crown?
Sri Lanka shocked everyone by beating India in the 2024 final, their first Asia Cup title in nine attempts. They currently sit sixth in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, and their recent series results have been mixed. Holding onto the trophy on a neutral pitch in Dubai, rather than at home in Dambulla, adds another layer of difficulty.
Pakistan’s Rebuild
Pakistan have never won the Women’s Asia Cup, and 2026 hasn’t started kindly for them either. They sit eighth in the T20I rankings after a rough run at the World Cup and recent bilateral series. Drawn into India’s group again, they’ll need something special just to escape the group stage.
| Team | ICC Women’s T20I Rank (as of Aug 2026) |
|---|---|
| India | 3 |
| Sri Lanka | 6 |
| Pakistan | 8 |
How to Watch the Women’s Asia Cup 2026
For fans in India, matches are expected to air on the Sony Sports Network with streaming on SonyLIV, based on the broadcaster’s coverage of recent editions.
International broadcast and streaming partners for other markets hadn’t been confirmed at the time of writing, so it’s worth checking the ACC’s official channels closer to August 28.
Wrapping Up: Women’s Asia Cup 2026 Starts From August 28 and runs through September 13
The Women’s Asia Cup 2026 has all the makings of a gripping fortnight: a settled Indian side hunting redemption, a Sri Lankan team defending the crown away from home, and a Pakistan side still chasing their first title.
Check back as squads get finalised and the points table takes shape.
