# India-Pakistan clash at Asian Games limited to final or bronze match

2026-08-13T03:57:21+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

India and Pakistan can only face each other in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off at the 2026 Asian Games, the tournament format confirms. Both teams have directly qualified for the men's quarter-finals as top seeds along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A semi-final clash is impossible. The same restriction applies to the women's competition. India enter as defending champions in both men's and women's cricket after winning gold at Hangzhou.

## Coverage

- indiatvnews.com <https://www.indiatvnews.com/sports/cricket/india-pakistan-match-at-asian-games-to-carry-special-significance-traditional-way-not-used-2026-08-12-1051193>
- news.abplive.com <https://news.abplive.com/sports/cricket/india-pakistan-asian-games-2026-only-two-scenarios-possible-for-ind-vs-pak-match-1861825>

Tags: ACC, Asian Games 2026, cricket rivalry, group allocation, India-Pakistan cricket
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