The Japan Cricket Association (Headquarters: Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture; Representative Director: Tatsuya Anthony Aram) is pleased to announce the decision on the schedules for major tournaments in the 2026 season.
May 2 (Sat) - May 5 (Holiday/Tue): Japan Premier League (Men's Select Tournament)
May 8 (Wed) - May 18 (Sun): Men's Japan National Team ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifiers
May 25 (Mon) - May 31 (Sun): Sano City Women's Japan Premier League (Women's Select Tournament)
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 Tournament)
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 five regional select teams from East, West, North, and South Kanto and Kansai, followed by a final and a 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 Qualifiers (May 8-18)
Match Schedule
Group Stage May 8 (Fri) - May 10 (Sun)
Super Six Stage May 12 (Tue) - May 18 (Mon)
Men's Japan 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: International match format (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time) certified by the International Cricket Council, abbreviation 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-May 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
Two round-robin tournaments among a total of 4 teams, consisting of teams formed around top Japanese national team players, two invited international teams, and a multinational team.
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) - September 22 (Holiday/Tue)
Men: September 24 (Thu) - October 3 (Sat)
*Participating countries are yet to be determined
Tournament Format
Women: 8 teams (knockout system)
Men: 10 teams (group qualifiers followed by knockout system)
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), October 25 (Sun)
Match Time: Undecided
Tournament Format
Two-league round-robin tournament where top Japanese players participate in teams representing their home country's embassy.
Match Format
T10 (10 overs, 60 balls, approx. 1.5 hours match time)
Venue
Sano International Cricket Ground
<Japan Cricket Association>
300-1 Tochimoto-cho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture 327-0312
URL: https://cricket.or.jp/
FACT BOX
- Source: PR TIMES
- Category: Event