Thailand, Malaysia and China have secured qualification for the women’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games after finishing among the top three in the qualifying tournament held in Kuala Lumpur.
The three teams will join Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, along with hosts Japan, in the eight-team event set to take place in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya in Japan during September-October.
Thailand Dominate Qualifying Tournament
Thailand topped Group A with victories over Malaysia and Hong Kong to progress comfortably into the semi-finals. Malaysia also advanced after defeating Hong Kong to secure their place in the knockout stage.
From Group B, Nepal and China qualified as the top two teams to complete the semi-final lineup.
In the semi-finals, Thailand delivered a commanding performance against China, bowling them out for 53 and securing an 83-run win. Malaysia also progressed to the final after chasing down Nepal’s 126/6 with two wickets in hand and eight balls remaining.
China Secure Final Qualification Spot
With both finalists already guaranteed qualification, the focus shifted to the third-place playoff. China defeated Nepal via the DLS method in a rain-affected match, winning by five wickets to claim the final qualification spot.
Thailand Crowned Champions
Thailand underlined their dominance in the final by dismissing Malaysia for 54 before completing a nine-wicket victory to finish as champions of the qualifying tournament.
Rankings and Tournament Format
Thailand remain one of the leading Associate teams in women’s cricket and previously featured in the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020 after progressing through the qualifiers in 2019. They are currently ranked 12th in the ICC women’s T20I rankings, with Malaysia at 28th and China at 42nd.
The women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games will feature eight teams in the T20 format. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka qualified automatically as Full Member nations, while Japan enter as hosts.
Men’s Qualification Still Ongoing
The men’s qualification tournament is still in progress. Alongside Japan, the Full Member nations – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – have already secured direct entry, with four additional teams set to qualify from the ongoing competition involving Nepal, China, Malaysia, Qatar, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Oman and Singapore.
