[Cricket] Schedule for Major Tournaments in 2026, Including Asian Games, Decided

This February, the Japan Men's National Team participated in international matches in Thailand.

The Japan Cricket Association (Headquarters: Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture; Representative Director: Anthony Tatsuya Aram) is pleased to announce the decision on the schedule for major tournaments in the 2026 season.

May 2 (Sat) - May 5 (Holiday/Tue): Japan Premier League (Men's Select Match)

May 8 (Wed) - May 18 (Sun): Japan Men's National Team ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier

May 25 (Mon) - May 31 (Sun): Sano City Women's Japan Premier League (Women's Select Match)

September 17 (Thu) - October 3 (Sat): Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games Men's and Women's Japan National Teams

October 24 (Sat) - October 25 (Sun): Embassy Cup (Embassy Select Match)

Details of the major tournaments are as follows:

Japan Premier League (May 2-4)

Match Schedule

May 2 (Sat) 10:30-13:30, 14:30-17:30 <Cancelled>

May 3 (Holiday/Sun) 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00

May 4 (Holiday/Mon) 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00 <Some matches cancelled>

May 5 (Holiday/Tue) 10:00-13:00

Tournament Format

Round-robin tournament among 5 regional select teams from East, West, North, and South Kanto and Kansai, followed by a final and 3rd place playoff.

Match Format

T20 (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time)

Venue

Sano International Cricket Ground

Location: 300-1 Tochimoto-cho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture 312-0327

ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier (May 8-18)

Match Schedule

Group Stage May 8 (Fri) - 10 (Sun)

Super Six Stage May 12 (Tue) - 18 (Mon)

Japan Men's National Team Group Stage Match Schedule (Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture)

May 9 (Sat) 9:30 Japan vs Vanuatu

May 10 (Sun) 9:30 Japan vs Fiji

Tournament Format

Group stage (round-robin among 3 teams x 3 groups), and Super Six stage (top 2 teams from each group advance)

Participating Teams

Japan, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Vanuatu

Match Format: T20I

Venue

Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture (May 8-10), Sano International Cricket Ground (May 8-18)

*ICC: International Cricket Council

*May 11 is a travel day, May 15 is a rest day

*T20I: A 20-over international match format (120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time) certified by the International Cricket Council, short for "T20 International" or "Twenty Twenty International"

*Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture

Location: 323-8 Nishikorogi, Kitashinmachi, Nisshin City, Aichi Prefecture 470-0103

Sano City Women's Japan Premier League (May 25-31)

Match Schedule

May 25 (Mon) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 26 (Tue) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 27 (Wed) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 29 (Fri) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 30 (Sat) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 31 (Sun) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00

Tournament Format

Double round-robin among a total of 4 teams: teams formed mainly by top Japanese national team players, 2 invited overseas teams, and multinational teams.

Match Format

T20 (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time)

Venue

Sano International Cricket Ground

*Rest day: May 28 (Thu)

20th Asian Games (2026/Aichi-Nagoya) (September 17 - October 3)

Match Schedule

Women: September 17 (Thu) - 22 (Holiday/Tue)

Men: September 24 (Thu) - October 3 (Sat)

*Participating countries are undecided

Tournament Format

Women: 8 teams (knockout system)

Men: 10 teams (knockout after group qualifiers)

Match Format

T20 (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time)

Venue

Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture

Embassy Cup (October 24-25)

Match Schedule

October 24 (Sat), 25 (Sun)

Match time: Undecided

Tournament Format

Round-robin tournament in a two-league system where top Japanese players participate in embassy teams based on their origin.

Match Format

T10 (10 overs, 60 balls, approx. 1.5 hours match time)

Venue

Sano International Cricket Ground

<Japan Cricket Association>

327-0312 Tochimoto-cho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture 300-1

URL: https://cricket.or.jp/