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India and Pakistan had plenty of high-profile encounters throughout 2025, some unforgettable matches given they all took place in major tournaments. While the three Sundays in a row that India beat Pakistan during the Asia Cup won’t soon be forgotten, but will also be placed in the rear-view mirror as fixtures in 2026 come up.
Of course, no bilaterals with the tensions between the two nations on a knife-edge at the moment, but the head-to-head encounters in ICC tournaments have all but become a guarantee given their significance to the cricket governing body’s coffers. This year doesn’t have the guarantee of as many India-Pakistan matches, but there is still an interesting set – here’s a breakdown.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
India and Pakistan have been drawn into the same group in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will see hosting rights split between India and Sri Lanka. The two arch-rivals are set to face off on February 15 early in the tournament, with the contest set to take place in Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium as a neutral venue.
This will be a match which has the same protagonists as the Asia Cup from six months in the past, and will also set the stage for a potential re-match later on in the business end of the tournament.
ICC U-19 Men’s ODI World Cup
In the U-19 World Cup taking part early in the year in Zimbabwe and Namibia, India and Pakistan will actually have to wait quite a bit if they intend to face off against each other – and if they do, revenge will be on the mind for Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and co. after the loss suffered in the Asia Cup final not too long ago.
India and Pakistan have been drawn into Group A and B, respectively, which means they won’t face off in the league stage, and neither will they face off in the Super Sixes, where their respective tracks don’t converge. Semifinals or finals are on the cards – and that should make for a real thriller.
ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
On the back of their success in the home ODI World Cup, the women’s team will travel to England in the summer with hopes of getting their hands on the T20 World Cup as well. Here, India and Pakistan are indeed in the same group – a match India will be heading into as heavy favourites, and know they must win given Australia and South Africa are also in their group.
The two teams will begin their campaigns by facing off against each other, playing at Edgbaston in Birmingham on June 14.
