Asia Cup 2025 to be Held in UAE with India and Pakistan Set to Clash at Neutral Venue

The Asia Cup 2025 will be held in the United Arab Emirates from September 9 to 28, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced. Although India is the official host, the tournament is being played in the UAE because India and Pakistan agreed to compete only at neutral venues until 2027 due to ongoing tensions between the two countries.

This will be the 17th edition of the Asia Cup. Eight teams will compete in two groups. The teams are full members Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The hosts are UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong.

The tournament will be played in the Twenty20 format, ahead of the T20 World Cup next year. India, the reigning champion and most successful team with eight titles, will meet Pakistan in the group stage. Their matches are scheduled for September 14 and possibly September 21 during the Super Four stage. The two teams could meet up to three times if both reach the final.

The Asia Cup is organized by the ACC and has been held since 1983, alternating between One Day Internationals and T20 formats. Sri Lanka won the last T20 Asia Cup in 2022, beating Pakistan in the final. 

The choice to host the tournament at a neutral venue comes after recent military conflicts between India and Pakistan. Despite criticism, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed government approval for the event. The BCCI will keep the gate proceeds as the official host.

The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is very important financially. Clocking into $170 million, the media rights of the Asia Cup from 2024 to 2031 are largely an Indian export. The tournament gains its commercial values enormously from India-Pakistan clashes.

In recent times, both cricket boards have kept choosing neutral grounds for their encounters to avoid political tension, following the pattern set in the ICC Champions Trophy 2023 type of events.

The Asia Cup groups are:

Group A: India, Pakistan, UAE, Oman

Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong

The Asia Cup is intended to provide entertaining cricket action while also providing an opportunity for the sport to promote regional peace and cooperation.