The U19 Asia Cup 2026 schedule is out, and one fixture has immediately caught the attention of cricket fans across the continent. India and Pakistan will meet in the group stage on November 8, giving the tournament one of its biggest matches before the knockout stage even begins.
The 2026 edition of the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup will be played in Oman from November 5 to November 14. Eight teams will compete for the title, with the tournament following a 50-over format. According to the published fixture list, all 15 matches will be played at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground venues in Oman.
India and Pakistan have been placed together in Group A alongside the United Arab Emirates and Nepal. Group B consists of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Malaysia.
The tournament will begin on November 5, with Sri Lanka taking on Malaysia and Bangladesh facing Afghanistan. India will start its campaign on November 6 against Nepal, while Pakistan will play the UAE on the same day.
But the fixture everyone will be watching comes two days later.
India vs Pakistan on November 8
India U19 and Pakistan U19 will face each other on November 8 in what promises to be one of the most anticipated matches of the group stage.
The two sides know each other well, but their most recent meeting in the competition ended in a painful defeat for India. Pakistan beat India by 191 runs in the 2025 U19 Asia Cup final in Dubai after posting a huge 347/8. India were bowled out for only 156 in 26.2 overs.
Sameer Minhas was the star of that final, producing one of the outstanding innings in the history of the tournament. The Pakistan opener smashed 172 from 113 balls, including 17 fours and nine sixes, before Pakistan’s bowlers completed a comprehensive victory.
That result made Pakistan the defending champions heading into the 2026 tournament.
For India, the November 8 clash therefore offers an early opportunity to respond. A group-stage meeting is very different from a final, but there will be no shortage of interest given what happened in Dubai last year.
India will first have to negotiate their opening match against Nepal on November 6 before facing Pakistan. Their third group game will be against the UAE on November 10.
The complete group-stage schedule is as follows:
- November 5: Sri Lanka U19 vs Malaysia U19; Bangladesh U19 vs Afghanistan U19
- November 6: Pakistan U19 vs UAE U19; India U19 vs Nepal U19
- November 7: Afghanistan U19 vs Malaysia U19; Sri Lanka U19 vs Bangladesh U19
- November 8: UAE U19 vs Nepal U19; India U19 vs Pakistan U19
- November 9: Bangladesh U19 vs Malaysia U19; Sri Lanka U19 vs Afghanistan U19
- November 10: India U19 vs UAE U19; Pakistan U19 vs Nepal U19
- November 12: Semi-finals
- November 14: Final
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The first semi-final will be played between A1 and B2, while B1 will meet A2 in the second semi-final. The winners will then meet in the final on November 14.
India chasing a record-extending ninth title
India have traditionally dominated the U19 Asia Cup. The team has won the tournament eight times, making it the most successful side in the competition’s history.
India’s title-winning campaigns came in 1989, 2003, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021. The team has also finished runners-up in the last two editions, losing to Bangladesh in the 2024 final and Pakistan in the 2025 final.
The recent record is therefore not quite what Indian cricket would expect from its junior side.
India’s last U19 Asia Cup title came in 2021. Since then, Bangladesh won the 2023 and 2024 editions, while Pakistan lifted the trophy in 2025. The latest final was particularly one-sided, with Pakistan winning by 191 runs.
The 2026 edition gives India another chance to end that wait.
It could also be an important tournament for players looking to establish themselves as the next generation of Indian cricket. The U19 Asia Cup has traditionally acted as a major stepping stone, with several former participants later progressing into senior international cricket.
India will also have some recent batting success to build on. In the 2025 edition, Abhigyan Kundu was India’s leading run-scorer with 276 runs, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 261 runs in five innings. Sooryavanshi’s aggressive batting, in particular, made him one of the most talked-about players of the tournament.
Pakistan arrive as defending champions
Pakistan will enter the 2026 U19 Asia Cup with plenty of confidence after their dominant campaign in 2025.
Sameer Minhas finished that tournament as the leading run-scorer, accumulating 471 runs in five innings at an extraordinary average of 157.00. He scored two centuries and was named Player of the Tournament. The ICC also highlighted his 172 in the final as the highest score in an U19 tournament final.
Pakistan also produced the tournament’s leading individual bowling performance through a strong overall attack, while India had Deepesh Devendran among the leading wicket-takers. Devendran finished the 2025 competition with 14 wickets.
There is also a bigger historical story behind the batting numbers. Pakistan’s Sami Aslam remains the leading run-scorer in U19 Asia Cup history, having accumulated 840 runs across 10 matches in the 2012 and 2014 editions. India’s Himanshu Rana is next among the leading historical run-scorers with 451 runs from eight matches.
That means the 2026 competition could provide another opportunity for the next generation of Asian batting talent to move up those historical lists.
For India, however, the immediate priority will be much simpler: get through the group stage, beat Pakistan and reach the semi-finals.
The November 8 fixture is likely to attract the biggest attention, but the group-stage points will matter just as much. With only two teams progressing from each group, there will be little room for an early slip.
Pakistan will want to defend their title. India will want to reclaim the trophy that has eluded them since 2021. And with both sides meeting before the knockout stage, the 2026 U19 Asia Cup could produce another memorable chapter in one of cricket’s biggest rivalries.
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