ACC Confirms Asia Cup 2025 Venues; India-Pakistan Clash in Dubai

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has officially confirmed the venues for the upcoming Men’s Asia Cup 2025, with the iconic India vs Pakistan clash slated for September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium. The tournament opener, featuring Afghanistan and Hong Kong, will take place on September 9 in Abu Dhabi, while the grand finale is also set for Dubai on September 28.

India vs Pakistan Match Draws Spotlight Amid Political Backdrop

Despite recent political tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor, the ACC has gone ahead with finalizing the schedule. The announcement comes amid criticism in some sections about India’s decision to participate in a match against Pakistan.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕,” 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝑪𝑪 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒔𝒊𝒂 𝑪𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉-𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕.”

India and Pakistan are placed in Group A along with the UAE and Oman, while Group B features Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. Notably, the two arch-rivals could clash up to three times during the tournament — in the group stage, Super Fours, and possibly in the final.

Tournament to Act as T20 World Cup Prep

This year’s Asia Cup will follow the T20 format to help teams fine-tune their squads ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. India’s campaign begins on September 10 against the UAE at the same venue as the blockbuster Pakistan clash.

An ACC official added, “The schedule is designed to maximize competitiveness while preparing teams for the T20 World Cup. All match timings and locations have been strategically chosen to accommodate both fans and player logistics.”

Asia Cup 2025 Group Stage Schedule:

Super 4s and Final: