The Asia Cup is the continental championship of South and South-East Asian cricket — six nations, a one-week-to-two-week window, and the only regular non-ICC venue where India and Pakistan men’s teams meet on the field. The 2026 edition runs in September with full Pakistani broadcaster carriage on PTV, A Sports and Tapmad TV. This page maps the broadcaster routes and the format.
Where to watch the Asia Cup 2026 legally in Pakistan
| Platform | What you get | 2026 cost (PKR) |
|---|---|---|
| PTV Sports | Every Pakistan match + most other matches, FTA | Free |
| A Sports | Every match, HD | Bundled in cable sports pack (~PKR 800–1,500 / month) |
| Tapmad TV | Every Pakistan match, digital, multi-device | PKR 250–500 / month |
The ACC’s regional rights structure typically licenses Pakistani broadcasters for the full tournament with selective exclusions on non-host non-Pakistan matches. In practice for Pakistani viewers: PTV Sports is the safe default.
Pan-region availability
| Region | Legal carrier |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | PTV Sports + A Sports + Tapmad TV |
| India | Star Sports + JioHotstar |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Cricket |
| United States | Willow TV |
| Australia | Fox Cricket |
| Sri Lanka | SLC partner channel (TBC) |
| Bangladesh | Gazi TV / T Sports (TBC) |
Series schedule
The Asia Cup 2026 schedule embeds below.
Cricket schedule — legal broadcasters by country
Bilateral India + Pakistan rights split, with UK and Australia for the diaspora. Tour windows shift; confirm kick-off against the rights-holder app on match day.
| Series | Format | Window | Teams | India (legal) | Pakistan (legal) | UK (legal) | Australia (legal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Champions Trophy 2026 | ODI | Feb 2026 | 8 nations (TBC host: Pakistan) | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket / Kayo Sports |
| IPL 2026 | T20 league | Mar–May 2026 | 10 franchises | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed (PEMRA blackout) | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket |
| PSL 2026 | T20 league | Apr–May 2026 | 6 franchises | Sony Sports (subject to confirmation) | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV / A Sports | Sky Sports / Willow TV | TBC |
| England tour of India | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jan–Feb 2026 | India vs England | Star Sports + JioHotstar | PTV / Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket / TNT Sports | Fox Cricket |
| Australia vs India ODI series | ODI | Oct–Nov 2026 (tentative) | India vs Australia | Sony Sports / JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket / Channel 7 |
| ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup | Feb–Mar 2026 (India + Sri Lanka hosts) | 20 nations | Star Sports + JioHotstar + DD Sports (selected) | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket / Channel 7 |
| BBL 2025/26 finals | T20 league knockout | Feb 2026 | Top-5 BBL | Sony Sports | Sony Sports (selected) | BT Sport / TNT Sports | Channel 7 + Fox Cricket |
| The Hundred 2026 | 100-ball league | Aug 2026 | 8 franchises | Sony Sports (TBC) | TBC | Sky Sports + BBC (selected) | Fox Cricket (TBC) |
| CPL 2026 | T20 league | Aug–Sep 2026 | 6 franchises | FanCode / Star Sports | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports / FanCode | Kayo Sports |
| ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup (Women) | Jun 2026 (England host) | 10 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV | Sky Sports + BBC | Fox Cricket |
| Asia Cup 2026 | T20 / ODI (TBC) | Sep 2026 | 6 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports | Fox Cricket |
| WTC 2025–27 cycle: India tests | Test | Through Jun 2027 | India + opponents | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket |
| Sri Lanka tour of Australia | ODI + T20I | Feb 2026 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | FanCode | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports (selected) | Fox Cricket / Channel 7 |
| Pakistan vs Bangladesh ODI series | ODI | Apr 2026 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Ten Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports (selected) | TBC |
| Pakistan tour of England | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jul–Aug 2026 | Pakistan vs England | Sony Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket | Fox Cricket (selected) |
CricHD Guide is editorial only — we do not host, embed or link to unauthorised streams. Match access is via the licensed broadcaster apps listed above.
| Stage | Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Group stage | Early Sep 2026 | Six nations, two groups of three |
| Super 4s | Mid Sep 2026 | Top 2 from each group |
| Final | Late Sep 2026 | Venue TBC |
How to watch the Asia Cup 2026 legally
- For free coverage in Pakistan, PTV Sports — terrestrial, satellite, cable basic.
- For HD upgrade, A Sports through your cable operator’s sports pack.
- For mobile / digital, Tapmad TV — PKR 250–500 per month.
- For diaspora viewers, route to Sky Sports (UK), Willow TV (US) or Fox Cricket (Australia).
- For the India–Pakistan fixture specifically, PTV in Pakistan and Star Sports + JioHotstar in India — both broadcast every ball.
ACC rights, venue politics and the India–Pakistan question
The Asian Cricket Council, of which both BCCI and PCB are member boards, licenses the Asia Cup rights globally. Pakistani broadcasters routinely carry the full event because ACC contracts include Pakistan-region distribution as standard — this is the institutional difference from BCCI bilateral rights, which exclude Pakistan distribution outright.
The 2026 host venue is TBC. Recent editions have used hybrid models for India–Pakistan fixtures when one country hosts; for 2026, if Pakistan hosts, India’s matches likely use a neutral venue (UAE) following the 2025 Champions Trophy template. Regardless of venue, the Asia Cup is the most reliable annual India–Pakistan men’s cricket fixture on the calendar.
CricHD Guide homepage (Pakistan) · PSL 2026 guide · Pakistan tour fixtures 2026 · Champions Trophy 2026 Pakistan host