UAE to host Asia Cup 2025 after Champions Trophy success
India and Pakistan’s high-octane clash scheduled for September 14
DUBAI: Asia Cup 2025 is officially scheduled for the United Arab Emirates, Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on Saturday, marking another major ICC event in the Gulf following the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Naqvi, who also serves as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, announced that the T20 tournament will take place from 9 to 28 September 2025. The announcement came shortly after the ACC Annual General Meeting in Dhaka, which was attended by representatives from all 25 member nations.
I am delighted to confirm the dates for the ACC Men's Asia Cup 2025 in UAE ???????? . The prestigious tournament will take place from September 9th to 28th. We look forward to a spectacular display of cricket! Detailed Schedule will be out soon. #Cricketwins
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) July 26, 2025
The Asia Cup will feature eight teams: the five full ACC members – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – alongside UAE, Oman and Hong Kong, who qualified via the 2024 ACC Premier Cup. Matches are expected to be split across Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Abu Dhabi venues.
Asia Cup 2025 schedule
The confirmed groupings and schedule have now been released. Group A features India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman, while Group B includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
The group stage kicks off on 9 September with Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, and the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan showdown is set for 14 September (Sunday).
Schedule pic.twitter.com/tFPlPN7JGd
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) July 26, 2025
Group Stage fixtures
9 SEP – Afghanistan vs Hong Kong
10 SEP – India vs UAE
11 SEP – Bangladesh vs Hong Kong
12 SEP – Pakistan vs Oman
13 SEP – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
14 SEP – India vs Pakistan
15 SEP – UAE vs Oman; Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong
16 SEP – Bangladesh vs Afghanistan
17 SEP – Pakistan vs UAE
18 SEP – Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan
19 SEP – India vs Oman
Cricket in UAE
The UAE’s role in hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 bolstered confidence in its capacity to stage high profile cricket events. That tournament was co-hosted by Pakistan and UAE, with India playing all its fixtures in Dubai due to political concerns, including the India–Pakistan group match on 23 February and possibly the final on 9 March, which indeed took place in Dubai when India qualified.
The Champions Trophy final attracted record global viewing minutes – 368 billion overall, with the India New Zealand match alone accounting for 65.3 billion live viewing minutes.
The Emirates Cricket Board praised the UAE government and ICC organisers for the seamless execution and sold-out crowds at Dubai International Stadium, noting that this marked the third ICC world event staged in the UAE in under four years.
With Asia Cup 2025 now confirmed for UAE, cricket fans across the region can look forward to a thrilling build up ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, co hosted by India and Sri Lanka.