The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has confirmed that the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28. The ACC President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, made the official announcement on July 26.
Dropping the much-awaited news, Mohsin Naqvi took a sharp dig at India, as he said cricket won, referring to the drama over the Asia Cup 2025 following a terror attack in Pahalgam. There were a lot of speculations that India would boycott the tournament, but it is now being held as scheduled.
Asia Cup 2025 to go ahead in UAE, confirms ACC President Mohsin Naqvi
The PCB chief further said that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is expected to release the complete schedule for the T20 tournament soon, along with details on venues. However, Dubai and Sharjah have already been shortlisted for the upcoming subcontinental tournament.
Mohsin Naqvi posted, X: “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! The detailed schedule will be out soon. #Cricketwins”
🚨 BREAKING: ACC president Mohsin Naqvi confirms the dates of Asia Cup 2025 pic.twitter.com/Of0lBJMmOH
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) July 26, 2025
Meanwhile, India and Pakistan will reportedly face each other in the 2025 Asia Cup on September 14. This will be their first match since the recent attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
Why UAE to play hosts for Asia Cup 2025?
Well, India is the official host of the upcoming Asia Cup, but the tournament won’t be held in India. Instead, all matches will take place in the UAE. This decision was taken after an agreement between the BCCI and PCB that India and Pakistan won’t tour each other’s countries until 2028.
Since the Asia Cup is a short event, it would have been complicated and messy to manage to stage the tournament under the hybrid model. So, to avoid those problems, the BCCI decided to shift the entire tournament to the UAE, where both teams can play without political or logistical issues.
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It is being said that the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 will feature eight teams: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Hong Kong, and Oman. A total of 19 matches will be played in the T20 format. India and Pakistan are likely to be placed in the same group.
India likely to face Pakistan thrice in Asia Cup!!
This means fans could enjoy up to three exciting matches between the two rivals—one in the group stage, one in the Super Four, and possibly the final if both teams make it.
Notably, a large part of the Asia Cup’s earnings comes from Indian sponsors and TV networks. Sony Pictures Networks India, which bought the broadcast rights in 2024 for a reported USD 170 million over eight years, is hoping for big viewership numbers, especially with more IND vs PAK matches.
