[Cricket] Schedule for Major Tournaments in 2026, Including Asian Games, Decided

This February, the Japan Men's National Team participated in international matches in Thailand. The Japan Cricket Association (Headquarters: Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture; Representative Director: Anthony Tatsuya Aram) is pleased to announce the decision on the schedule for major tournaments in the 2026 season. May 2 (Sat) - May 5 (Holiday/Tue): Japan Premier League (Men's Select Match) May 8 (Wed) - May 18 (Sun): Japan Men's National Team ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier May 25 (Mon) - May 31 (Sun): Sano City Women's Japan Premier League (Women's Select Match) September 17 (Thu) - October 3 (Sat): Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games Men's and Women's Japan National Teams October 24 (Sat) - October 25 (Sun): Embassy Cup (Embassy Select Match) Details of the major tournaments are as follows: Japan Premier League (May 2-4) Match Schedule May 2 (Sat) 10:30-13:30, 14:30-17:30 May 3 (Holiday/Sun) 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00 May 4 (Holiday/Mon) 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00 May 5 (Holiday/Tue) 10:00-13:00 Tournament Format Round-robin tournament among 5 regional select teams from East, West, North, and South Kanto and Kansai, followed by a final and 3rd place playoff. Match Format T20 (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time) Venue Sano International Cricket Ground Location: 300-1 Tochimoto-cho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture 312-0327 ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier (May 8-18) Match Schedule Group Stage May 8 (Fri) - 10 (Sun) Super Six Stage May 12 (Tue) - 18 (Mon) Japan Men's National Team Group Stage Match Schedule (Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture) May 9 (Sat) 9:30 Japan vs Vanuatu May 10 (Sun) 9:30 Japan vs Fiji Tournament Format Group stage (round-robin among 3 teams x 3 groups), and Super Six stage (top 2 teams from each group advance) Participating Teams Japan, Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Vanuatu Match Format: T20I Venue Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture (May 8-10), Sano International Cricket Ground (May 8-18) *ICC: International Cricket Council *May 11 is a travel day, May 15 is a rest day *T20I: A 20-over international match format (120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time) certified by the International Cricket Council, short for "T20 International" or "Twenty Twenty International" *Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture Location: 323-8 Nishikorogi, Kitashinmachi, Nisshin City, Aichi Prefecture 470-0103 Sano City Women's Japan Premier League (May 25-31) Match Schedule May 25 (Mon) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 26 (Tue) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 27 (Wed) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 29 (Fri) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 30 (Sat) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 May 31 (Sun) 9:30-12:30, 14:00-17:00 Tournament Format Double round-robin among a total of 4 teams: teams formed mainly by top Japanese national team players, 2 invited overseas teams, and multinational teams. Match Format T20 (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time) Venue Sano International Cricket Ground *Rest day: May 28 (Thu) 20th Asian Games (2026/Aichi-Nagoya) (September 17 - October 3) Match Schedule Women: September 17 (Thu) - 22 (Holiday/Tue) Men: September 24 (Thu) - October 3 (Sat) *Participating countries are undecided Tournament Format Women: 8 teams (knockout system) Men: 10 teams (knockout after group qualifiers) Match Format T20 (20 overs, 120 balls, approx. 3 hours match time) Venue Korogi Sports Park, Aichi Prefecture Embassy Cup (October 24-25) Match Schedule October 24 (Sat), 25 (Sun) Match time: Undecided Tournament Format Round-robin tournament in a two-league system where top Japanese players participate in embassy teams based on their origin. Match Format T10 (10 overs, 60 balls, approx. 1.5 hours match time) Venue Sano International Cricket Ground 327-0312 Tochimoto-cho, Sano City, Tochigi Prefecture 300-1 URL: https://cricket.or.jp/