Asia Cup 2025 in UAE starting September 9; India vs Pakistan on September 14

India and Pakistan are pitted against each other in Group A at the 2025 men's Asia Cup, set to be held in the UAE from September 9 to September 28. Their group-stage meeting will be on September 14 in Dubai*, with two more potential games between them should both reach the final. Dubai, where the final will also be played, will host 11 games while Abu Dhabi will host eight fixtures.

Last week, the dates for the 17th edition of the tournament were announced by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup, the tournament will be played in the T20I format and, for the very first time, will feature eight teams, a bump of two from the previous edition.

Apart from India and Pakistan, Group A includes Oman and hosts UAE. Group B has Afghanistan and Hong Kong, who kickstart the tournament in Abu Dhabi on September 9, alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The top two teams from each group will move on to another four-team group for the second stage, with the top two teams of that group proceeding to the final on September 28.

The venue and dates for the tournament were finalised at the ACC's annual general meeting in Dhaka last Thursday, where the Asia Cup was one of the key points on the members' agenda. The fate of the tournament had briefly been thrown into uncertainty following the India-Pakistan military skirmish in May. After the AGM in Dhaka, Naqvi had addressed a press conference about the imminent notification of the Asia Cup dates, though he had stopped short of confirming specific details at the time.

The India-Pakistan fixture is, by far, the most financially lucrative fixture in the Asia Cup. The format of the tournament and the placement in the same group make at least two India-Pakistan matches likely, the second on September 21 - also in Dubai - if it happens. It also leaves open the possibility of a third meeting in the final in Dubai on September 28. There has, however, never been an India-Pakistan final in the Asia Cup.

India are the official hosts of the tournament, but, after an agreement between the BCCI and the PCB earlier this year, tournaments held in India or Pakistan will see a neutral venue provided for the other side for a three-year period. The agreement came about ahead of the Champions Trophy held in Pakistan earlier this year. India played all their games, including the one against hosts Pakistan, in Dubai. The final, which India qualified for and won, was also held in Dubai.

India are the defending champions, having beaten Sri Lanka in the final of the previous edition in 2023. Sri Lanka won the previous T20I edition, beating Pakistan in the final in 2022.

*1700 GMT, Aug 2: The news story was updated after the ACC released the detailed schedule