Bangladesh is on course to stage the next edition of the Asia Cup, with reports pointing to a June 18 to July 4, 2027 window for a tournament that will double up as a dress rehearsal for the ODI World Cup later that year. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is yet to release the full match schedule, but the host, the format and the broad dates are now taking clear shape.
Crucially, the 2027 edition is set to be played in the 50-over format, a switch back to ODI cricket after the T20 Asia Cup of 2025. Matches are expected to be spread across three venues — Mirpur, Chattogram and Sylhet — with the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur pencilled in for the marquee fixtures and the final.
Why the Asia Cup 2027 returns to the ODI format
The Asia Cup has long alternated its format to mirror the next major ICC event, and 2027 is no different. The 2023 edition was a 50-over affair, 2025 switched to T20 ahead of the T20 World Cup cycle, and now the tournament flips back to ODIs.
The timing is deliberate. The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2027 is scheduled for October-November in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and the Asia Cup hands the continent's leading sides a rare block of competitive 50-over cricket just months before the global event. For teams still hunting for the right top-order balance, death-bowling options and finishers, it is the closest thing to a live World Cup audition.
Reported dates, teams and format
According to multiple reports, the ACC has provisionally locked a June 18 to July 4, 2027 window, though the governing body has not made it official. The tournament is expected to feature 13 matches and six teams, split into two groups of three before a Super Four stage and the final.
Five sides qualify automatically — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — with the sixth spot going to an Associate nation that comes through the ACC qualifying route, likely one of Nepal, UAE, Oman or Hong Kong. India will arrive as the reigning champions, having lifted both the 2023 ODI Asia Cup and the 2025 T20 edition.
Asia Cup 2027 venues in Bangladesh
Bangladesh's hosting duties would mark the sixth time the country has staged the Asia Cup, after 1988, 2000, 2012, 2014 and 2016. The last of those, in 2016, was the first T20-format Asia Cup, and it ended with Bangladesh reaching the final on home soil before losing to India.
For 2027, three grounds are in the frame:
Mirpur – Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka (expected to host the final)
Chattogram – Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium
Sylhet – Sylhet International Cricket Stadium
The ACC is expected to confirm the venue split once the detailed fixture list is finalised.
Will India travel to Bangladesh for the Asia Cup 2027?
This is the storyline that will dominate the build-up. India's cricketing relationship with Bangladesh has been strained over the past year — friction that traces back to an incident during IPL 2026, Bangladesh's decision not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, and the postponement of India's white-ball tour of Bangladesh in 2026.
Even so, Bangladesh is expected to keep the hosting rights, and there is cautious optimism that India will take part. The Bangladesh Cricket Board's new administration, reportedly led by Tamim Iqbal, has prioritised repairing ties with the BCCI, and there is no official word that India intends to skip the event.
There is also a wider regional dimension. With India and Pakistan operating under an understanding that they will not play bilaterally in each other's countries, a neutral host like Bangladesh actually helps de-risk the India-Pakistan question that has forced hybrid or neutral-venue arrangements at recent Asia Cups — including 2025, when India were the official hosts but the tournament was played entirely in the UAE.
A straightforward, single-country model in Bangladesh would be the smoothest outcome; a neutral-venue tweak for specific fixtures remains a fallback the boards could still explore.
FAQs
Q1. When will Asia Cup 2027 start?
Asia Cup 2027 is likely to begin on June 18, 2027.
Q2. When is the Asia Cup 2027 final?
The final of Asia Cup 2027 is expected to be played on July 4, 2027.
Q3. Where will Asia Cup 2027 be held?
The tournament is expected to be hosted by Bangladesh, with matches likely in Mirpur, Chattogram, and Sylhet.
Q4. What will be the format of Asia Cup 2027?
Asia Cup 2027 is expected to be played in the ODI (50-over) format.
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