Thailand, Malaysia, and China have secured spots in the women’s cricket tournament at the 2026 Asian Games after excelling in the qualifying event held in Kuala Lumpur from May 26 to 31. These three teams will join the already-qualified nations at the event scheduled for September and October next year in Japan.
Thailand emerged as the top team in Group A during the preliminary stage, defeating both Malaysia and Hong Kong. Malaysia, despite losing to Thailand initially, bounced back by defeating Hong Kong to advance to the knockout rounds. In the semi-finals, Thailand displayed dominance by restricting China to 53 runs and securing an 83-run victory. Malaysia also advanced to the final by defeating Nepal in a tense chase, reaching the target with eight deliveries to spare.
China claimed the final qualification spot by defeating Nepal in a rain-shortened third-place playoff, securing a five-wicket victory under the DLS method. In the tournament final, Thailand outperformed Malaysia by restricting them to 54 runs and comfortably chasing down the target with nine wickets remaining.
The women’s cricket event at the 2026 Asian Games will feature eight teams, including automatic qualifiers India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, along with hosts Japan. Thailand, Malaysia, and China complete the lineup, with Thailand being the highest-ranked qualifier at 12th in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings, followed by Malaysia at 28th and China at 42nd.
The men’s competition qualification process is ongoing, with Japan and five Full Members – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – already qualified. Four additional teams will join them from the ongoing qualifiers involving Nepal, China, Malaysia, Qatar, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Oman, and Singapore.
