Asia Cup 2025: UAE Likely to Co-Host with India

The ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 is provisionally scheduled for September 12-28. India, the designated host, is expected to share hosting duties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Reports indicate that the UAE and Sri Lanka were primary contenders to co-host. Currently, the UAE appears to be the finalized neutral venue, potentially to accommodate any matches involving Pakistan.

This mirrors previous instances, such as the Champions Trophy 2025, where India’s games were held in Dubai while Pakistan was the host nation.

Earlier in May, speculation arose regarding India potentially withdrawing from the Asia Cup 2025, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) quickly refuted these claims.

More recently, a promotional visual for the competition that only included India and Sri Lanka went viral on social media, which brought up concerns about Pakistan’s omission and raised doubts about their involvement, especially given the tense political situation between the two countries.

Given the agreement established between the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last year, which limits their bilateral matches to neutral ICC or ACC competitions only, it is evident that any potential India versus Pakistan game won’t occur on Indian soil.

Despite the logistical clarity, India’s confirmed participation remains the most significant concern.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia recently refuted reports that India would boycott the event, reiterating that the board is awaiting clearance from the Indian government regarding participation.

“There is no discussion or even a remote thought about boycotting matches. We play Pakistan in the ICC events and it will go on if our government doesn’t say otherwise. As for the Asia Cup, we will know in the coming days,” stated a BCCI official.

Notably, neither the BCCI nor the PCB raised objections when the International Cricket Council (ICC) placed India and Pakistan together for the forthcoming Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, hinting at a potential improvement in cricketing relations.

Both boards are believed to be wary of the potential consequences of a boycott, which could affect their standing and participation in future ICC or Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournaments.