by Four spots. Thirty-eight matches. And every team in the draw knows exactly what the prize is.
The 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup berths go to the four semi-finalists at the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026, which means every group-stage result matters from day one.
Win your group, avoid an awkward quarter-final draw, reach the last four – that is the route.
Malaysia is hosting the full tournament between 3 and 13 June 2026, with 18 nations – including two making their debut at this level – packed into an 11-day, 38-match window.
ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026 Schedule
Here is the complete ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026 schedule, match by match.
What Is On The Line?
The stakes are cleaner in 2026 than they were two years ago. In the inaugural 2024 edition, qualification criteria were tied to final standings.
This year, the ACC has made it explicit: the four semi-finalists go directly to the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
That means the quarter-finals on 10 June are knockout cricket in every sense. Lose there, and your Asia Cup hopes are gone.
Defending champions UAE, 2024 semi-finalists Malaysia, Thailand, and Nepal are the sides most expected to fill those four spots — but a 38-match group stage across four groups throws up enough variables to keep it interesting.
Tournament Structure and Format
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Edition | 2nd |
| Dates | 3 – 13 June 2026 |
| Host | Malaysia |
| Organiser | Asian Cricket Council (ACC) |
| Format | T20 International |
| Teams | 18 |
| Matches | 38 |
| Defending Champions | United Arab Emirates |
| Asia Cup spots on offer | 4 (awarded to semi-finalists) |
The 18 teams are split into four groups — two groups of five (A and B) and two groups of four (C and D). Each group plays a full round-robin, with top finishers advancing to the quarter-finals.
Group Breakdown: Who Is In Each Pool
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| Group A | Bahrain, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand |
| Group B | China, Oman, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates |
| Group C | Indonesia, Kuwait, Malaysia, Singapore |
| Group D | Bhutan, Hong Kong, China, Nepal, Qatar |
- Group A is the most unpredictable pool on paper. Thailand is a strong favourite, but Japan — playing their first ACC Women’s Premier Cup — opened with a 116-run demolition of Mongolia. They are not here to make up numbers.
- Group B is effectively a UAE procession if their opening results hold. They beat Saudi Arabia by 10 wickets and Oman by 9 wickets in the first two rounds, but the Philippines caused early turbulence by putting 133 runs past Saudi Arabia in the same group.
- Group C gives Malaysia the softer draw. They beat Kuwait (9 runs) and Singapore (40 runs) without trouble in the opening two fixtures. Indonesia is the only side testing them after winning their first two matches by 8 and 10 wickets.
- Group D is Nepal’s to lose. Back-to-back wins — 8 wickets over Qatar and 51 runs over Bhutan — have them on course for the quarter-finals comfortably.
ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026 Full Schedule
Group Stage
| Date | Match | Group | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, 3 Jun | Malaysia Women vs Kuwait Women | C | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia won by 9 runs |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Saudi Arabia Women vs UAE Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | UAE won by 10 wkts |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Mongolia Women vs Thailand Women | A | Selangor Turf Club, KL | Thailand won by 10 wkts |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Qatar Women vs Nepal Women | D | KTJ Oval, Mantin | Nepal won by 8 wkts |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Singapore Women vs Indonesia Women | C | Selangor Turf Club, KL | Indonesia won by 8 wkts |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Oman Women vs China Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | Oman won by 16 runs |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Bahrain Women vs Myanmar Women | A | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Myanmar won by 8 wkts |
| Wed, 3 Jun | Hong Kong China vs Bhutan Women | D | KTJ Oval, Mantin | Hong Kong China won by 14 runs |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Nepal Women vs Bhutan Women | D | KTJ Oval, Mantin | Nepal won by 51 runs |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Oman Women vs UAE Women | B | Selangor Turf Club, KL | UAE won by 9 wkts |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Bahrain Women vs Thailand Women | A | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | Thailand won by 10 wkts |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Malaysia Women vs Singapore Women | C | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia won by 40 runs |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Japan Women vs Mongolia Women | A | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | Japan won by 116 runs |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Philippines Women vs Saudi Arabia Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | Philippines won by 133 runs |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Kuwait Women vs Indonesia Women | C | Selangor Turf Club, KL | Indonesia won by 10 wkts |
| Thu, 4 Jun | Hong Kong China vs Qatar Women | D | KTJ Oval, Mantin | Hong Kong China won by 83 runs |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Bhutan Women vs Qatar Women | D | KTJ Oval, Mantin | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Japan Women vs Myanmar Women | A | Selangor Turf Club, KL | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | China Women vs Philippines Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Malaysia Women vs Indonesia Women | C | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Nepal Women vs Hong Kong China | D | KTJ Oval, Mantin | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Kuwait Women vs Singapore Women | C | Selangor Turf Club, KL | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Oman Women vs Saudi Arabia Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | — |
| Sat, 6 Jun | Bahrain Women vs Mongolia Women | A | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | — |
| Sun, 7 Jun | Myanmar Women vs Thailand Women | A | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | — |
| Sun, 7 Jun | China Women vs UAE Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | — |
| Sun, 7 Jun | Bahrain Women vs Japan Women | A | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | — |
| Sun, 7 Jun | Oman Women vs Philippines Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | — |
| Tue, 9 Jun | Japan Women vs Thailand Women | A | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | — |
| Tue, 9 Jun | Mongolia Women vs Myanmar Women | A | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | — |
| Tue, 9 Jun | China Women vs Saudi Arabia Women | B | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | — |
| Tue, 9 Jun | Philippines Women vs UAE Women | B | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | — |
Quarter-Finals — 10 June 2026
| Match | Venue | Time (Local) |
|---|---|---|
| Quarter-Final 1 | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | 09:30 |
| Quarter-Final 2 | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | 09:30 |
| Quarter-Final 3 | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | 14:00 |
| Quarter-Final 4 | YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi | 14:00 |
Semi-Finals — 12 June 2026
| Match | Venue | Time (Local) |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-Final 1 | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | 09:30 |
| Semi-Final 2 | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur | 14:00 |
Final Day — 13 June 2026
| Match | Venue |
|---|---|
| 3rd-Place Playoff | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur |
| Final | Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur |
Venues: Where Matches Are Being Played
Four grounds are in use across the tournament. All are within driving distance of Kuala Lumpur.
- Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur — The tournament’s main ground. Hosts the semi-finals, final, and 3rd-place playoff, as well as a significant chunk of the group stage.
- YSD-UKM Cricket Oval, Bangi — The second busiest venue, hosting Group B fixtures and two of the quarter-finals.
- Selangor Turf Club, Kuala Lumpur — Used for select Group A and C matches in the opening rounds.
- KTJ Oval (Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar), Mantin — Group D’s dedicated venue. Every Bhutan, Nepal, Hong Kong, China, and Qatar group-stage match is played here.
The Debutants: Japan and Philippines
Two sides are attending the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup for the first time in 2026.
- Japan Women landed in Group A and announced themselves immediately. Their 116-run margin of victory over Mongolia in the opening round was the kind of result that changes how a group calculates. Japan vs Thailand on 9 June — the final Group A fixture — could decide the group winner.
- Philippines Women were even more dramatic in their debut outing. A 133-run win over Saudi Arabia on day two was the largest winning margin of the tournament so far. That result complicates Group B considerably, with the UAE still to face them on 9 June.
Neither side should be treated as filler. The format rewards teams that peak at the right moment, and both Japan and the Philippines have already shown they can score big.
Key Players Shaping the 2026 Tournament
| Player | Team | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Esha Oza (c) | UAE | 249 runs in 2024 — Player of the Series returner |
| Heena Hotchandani | UAE | 13 wickets in 2024, tournament’s leading wicket-taker |
| Samaira Dharnidharka | UAE | Middle-order anchor, UAE’s batting depth |
| Thipatcha Putthawong | Thailand | Claimed the tournament’s first T20I hat-trick in 2026 |
| Amna Tariq (c) | Kuwait | Kuwait captain in Group C |
| Deepika Rasangika (c) | Bahrain | Bahrain captain in Group A |
Thailand’s Thipatcha Putthawong took a hat-trick in the group stage — a detail that speaks to how seriously Thailand is taking this year’s tournament.
Multiple players also made their T20I debut in the opening round: Rashmeka Badri Narayanan (Singapore), Roshni Sebastian (Qatar), Samjana Mongar (Bhutan), Sunjidmaa Phillips (Mongolia), Laiba Arif and Rizwana Begum (Saudi Arabia), and Janani Thirukkumaran and Mehul Kulkarni (UAE).
How to Watch Live?
| Region | Platform |
|---|---|
| India | FanCode (app and web) |
| Global | Asian Cricket Council — official YouTube |
| Live scores | ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz |
| Official updates | asiancricket.org |
No traditional broadcast rights have been announced. The event is digital-only for now, with FanCode covering Indian audiences and the ACC YouTube channel providing global access to select matches.
FAQs
- Q1. What is the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026?
It is the second edition of the Asian Cricket Council’s associate women’s T20I tournament, featuring 18 nations competing in Malaysia. The top four semi-finalists earn direct entry into the 2026 Women’s T20 Asia Cup.
- Q2. How many matches are in the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026?
Thirty-eight matches in total — 32 group-stage fixtures across four groups, four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, a 3rd-place playoff, and the final.
- Q3. Which teams are considered favourites to reach the semi-finals?
UAE (defending champions), Thailand, Malaysia, and Nepal are the four sides with the strongest claims based on 2024 performance and early 2026 results. Japan and the Philippines have already shown they can disrupt the predictions.
- Q4. What time do matches start at the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026?
Knockout matches are scheduled at 09:30 and 14:00 local Malaysia time (UTC+8). Group-stage match timings vary by fixture and venue.
- Q5. Did any new teams join the 2026 tournament that were not in 2024?
Yes — Japan and the Philippines are new entrants, bringing the field from 16 to 18 teams. Both sides made an immediate impact in the opening round of fixtures.
- Q6. Who won the ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup in 2024?
The United Arab Emirates won the inaugural title, defeating hosts Malaysia in the final. Captain Esha Oza was named Player of the Series for her 249 runs across the tournament.
Conclusion:
The ACC Women’s T20I Premier Cup 2026 schedule runs across 11 days and 38 T20I matches, but the whole tournament narrows to one question by the time 12 June arrives: which four sides are left standing?
UAE is the team to beat. They have been the benchmark since 2024. But the group-stage results through the first two days have already shown this is a more competitive field than the bracket suggests — the Philippines’ 133-run win and Japan’s demolition of Mongolia being the early evidence.
The semi-final berths and the Asia Cup spots that come with them will not be settled without a fight. That is precisely what makes the 3–13 June window worth following closely.
