Nepal, Oman, Malaysia and Hong Kong seal place in Asian Games 2026

Nepal, Oman, Malaysia and Hong Kong have sealed their place in the 2026 Asian Games men’s cricket event, set to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in late September to early October. Nepal and Malaysia qualified from Group A, while Oman and Hong Kong qualified from Group B. 

Nepal set multiple records in their 221-run win against China in their opening game. The team put on a mammoth 313 for 2 with opener Kushal Bhurtel scoring a 43-ball 129, including six sixes in an over. They became the first team with multiple 300-plus totals in men’s T20 cricket. They beat Malaysia by 167 runs in their next game, with Bhurtel again scoring a century in their total of 275 for 7.

Malaysia beat China in their opening game of the qualifiers to seal their place in the main tournament, chasing down a meagre total of 85. Qatar, who were meant to be the fourth team in the group, withdrew before the start of the tournament, which meant Malaysia could qualify with just a single victory. 

Hong Kong and Oman both beat fellow Group B teams Bahrain and Singapore to seal their place in the Games, and their final clash would be just a formality to sort out their positions on the table for the semi-finals. The knockout stages do not have an impact on the qualification for the tournament. Hong Kong sealed dominant eight and nine-wicket chases against the two teams, while Oman completed nervy wins by 20 runs and seven runs in a shortened contest. 

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already sealed their place in the tournament as the full member nations from Asia. Japan have also qualified by virtue of being the host nation. The four teams that come from the qualifiers will join the six automatically qualified teams in the tournament set to commence from September 24 to October 3.