Afghanistan Face Japan in Asian Games Men’s Opener

Afghanistan and Japan are playing the opening men’s cricket match of the 2026 Asian Games.

The game will be held at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.

Afghanistan won silver at the previous edition after its final against India was washed out.

Japan exited in the group stage last time.

Four teams, including India and Pakistan, are already in the quarter-finals.

The report says the remaining teams must compete for the other quarter-final places.

However, its stated team count does not match the seven non-seeded teams it lists in the groups.

The pitch was made for cricket at a baseball facility and may help both batters and spinners.

Afghanistan are considered favorites, but Japan recently came close to beating India.