The future of the Asia Cup 2025 is up in the air, with fresh doubts emerging over whether the tournament will go ahead as planned in September. Scheduled to be hosted by Sri Lanka or the UAE, the eight-team tournament is now facing uncertainty due to ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan.
According to Indian media, there is strong evidence that India may not play against Pakistan, which could force the entire event to be postponed or even cancelled. According to the same reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is unlikely to receive government clearance to face Pakistan—a requirement for any bilateral or tournament match involving the two sides.
Without an India vs. Pakistan match, the Asia Cup loses its biggest attraction. These games bring in the highest TV ratings and sponsorship interest and in recent editions, they’ve essentially carried the tournament, regardless of the format or venue. An India-Pakistan match guarantees record viewership. Without it, the commercial value of the tournament drops sharply. That, in turn, puts pressure on the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to either find a workaround or consider cancelling the tournament altogether.
The 2025 Asia Cup is also a key preparation event ahead of the T20 World Cup in February 2026, but that purpose weakens significantly if two of the strongest teams can’t play each other.
This isn’t the first time political tensions have impacted the Asia Cup. In 2023, a hybrid hosting model had to be used after India refused to play in Pakistan. Some matches were shifted to Sri Lanka, allowing the tournament to go ahead. But repeating that model may not be possible this time, especially if India is unwilling to face Pakistan anywhere.
The ACC, which is ironically led by the PCB’s Mohsin Naqvi, now has a tough decision to make. If India refuses to play Pakistan, should the tournament go ahead without one of its biggest matches? Or should it be scrapped entirely?
For now, everything depends on whether the Indian government changes its stance and whether cricket diplomacy can find a way where politics has failed.
Without Pakistan vs. India, there is no Asia Cup—and the 2025 tournament may be proof of it at last.