Thailand, Malaysia, and China secured qualification for the women’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games after the regional qualifiers concluded in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.
Thailand and Malaysia earned automatic qualification by reaching the final, while China clinched the last berth by winning the third-place playoff.
The 2026 Asian Games will take place in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, during September and October, featuring women’s T20 cricket among eight teams. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and host Japan qualified directly.
Thailand dominated Group A with wins over Malaysia and Hong Kong, finishing unbeaten. Malaysia bounced back to reach the semi-finals and later joined Thailand in the final after defeating Nepal by two wickets. China advanced from Group B as runners-up and defeated Nepal by five wickets under the DLS method in the third-place playoff to secure qualification.
In the final, Thailand capped their flawless campaign by dismissing Malaysia for 54 and winning by nine wickets. Thailand currently ranks 12th in the ICC Women’s T20I standings, Malaysia 28th, and China 42nd.
The men’s qualification tournament continues separately, with Nepal, China, Malaysia, Qatar, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Oman, and Singapore competing for the four remaining spots.
