Asia Cup 2025: Why is Nepal Not Part of it Despite Expansion to Eight Teams?

The Asia Cup 2025 is set to bring some exciting changes, with the tournament expanding to eight teams for the first time. However, Nepal will not be part of the competition despite this expansion. This has left many fans wondering why Nepal missed out, especially after featuring in the 2023 edition.

Asia Cup 2025 Format & Host Country

The Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the T20 format to help teams prepare for the T20 World Cup 2026, hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The tournament is expected from the second to the last week of September 2025.

Initially, India was awarded the hosting rights for the Asia Cup 2025, but they will not host it due to political and logistical reasons. Instead, the tournament is expected to be held in Sri Lanka or the UAE.

Why didn’t Nepal qualify for the Asia Cup in 2025?

In previous editions, the Asia Cup featured only six teams. But for 2025, the tournament expanded to include eight teams. The qualification process, however, changed slightly:

• The five full-member nations of the ACC—India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan—earned automatic qualification.
• The top three 2024 ACC Premier Cup teams were granted the remaining spots.

In the ACC Premier Cup 2024, Nepal fought hard but fell short. Here’s what happened:

1. UAE defeated Oman in the final, securing both teams a direct spot in the Asia Cup.
2. Nepal and Hong Kong lost their respective semi-finals.
3. The third-place playoff match between Nepal and Hong Kong determined the final qualifying spot.
4. Hong Kong won by four wickets, earning the last Asia Cup 2025 berth, leaving Nepal out of the tournament.

Nepal’s ICC Rankings Didn’t Help Either

Nepal’s ICC T20I ranking also played a role in their exclusion. Nepal is ranked 17th with 171 rating points below UAE (16th, 179 points). While Oman (19th, 155 points) and Hong Kong (23rd, 131 points) are ranked lower, the qualification was based on performance in the ACC Premier Cup, not ICC rankings.

Despite the expansion to eight teams, Nepal fell short in the qualification process and will not be part of the Asia Cup 2025. With no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the possibility of three India-Pakistan clashes, this tournament promises to be one of the most exciting editions yet. As the cricketing world gears up, all eyes will be on Sri Lanka or the UAE, where the action is set to unfold!

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