The top five teams, which have permanent Test and ODI status, got direct entry based on their rankings. So, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan qualified automatically. The other three spots went to the teams that performed best in the 2024 Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s Premier Cup.
Nepal, defending champions of the inaugural edition of the Men’s Premier Cup in 2023, were drawn in group A of the 10-team tournament. They had Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia for company.
Nepal Fails to Qualify for Asia Cup 2025
As expected, the defending champions, although in the ODI format, remained unbeaten at the group stage even in the T20 format. Heading into the knockout round, they met the United Arab Emirates, who had finished second in group B.
Nepal faced a tough time as they were unexpectedly beaten by the UAE, losing by a big margin of six wickets. They got another shot in the third-place play-off, but once again things didn’t go their way. Hong Kong, a team they had comfortably beaten in the group stage, turned the tables and chased down the target of 140, winning by four wickets with just three balls to spare.
In the end, only the top three teams from the ACC Premier Cup 2024 earned the remaining spots in the Asia Cup, which meant Nepal couldn’t make it to the tournament again. The UAE, who won the cup, Oman, who finished second, and Hong Kong, who came third, all qualified for the Asia Cup 2025.
Asia Cup 2025: Full Schedule
| Date | Day | Match Details | Venue | GMT Time | Local Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 09 | Tue | Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, 1st Match, Group B | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 10 | Wed | India vs United Arab Emirates, 2nd Match, Group A | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 11 | Thu | Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, 3rd Match, Group B | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 12 | Fri | Pakistan vs Oman, 4th Match, Group A | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 13 | Sat | Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 5th Match, Group B | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 14 | Sun | India vs Pakistan, 6th Match, Group A | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 15 | Mon | United Arab Emirates vs Oman, 7th Match, Group A | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 12:00 GMT | 16:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 15 | Mon | Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, 8th Match, Group B | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 16 | Tue | Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, 9th Match, Group B | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 17 | Wed | Pakistan vs United Arab Emirates, 10th Match, Group A | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 18 | Thu | Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, 11th Match, Group B | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 19 | Fri | India vs Oman, 12th Match, Group A | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 20 | Sat | TBC vs TBC, Super Four, Match 1 (B1 v B2) | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 21 | Sun | TBC vs TBC, Super Four, Match 2 (A1 v A2) | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 23 | Tue | TBC vs TBC, Super Four, Match 3 (A2 v B1) | Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 24 | Wed | TBC vs TBC, Super Four, Match 4 (A1 v B2) | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 25 | Thu | TBC vs TBC, Super Four, Match 5 (A2 v B2) | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 26 | Fri | TBC vs TBC, Super Four, Match 6 (A1 v B1) | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
| Sep 28 | Sun | TBC vs TBC, Final | Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai | 14:00 GMT | 18:00 LOCAL |
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