ACC U-19 Asia Cup 2024 to be played in UAE from November 29, India to open campaign against Pakistan

The Men’s U-19 Asia Cup 2024 will begin on November 29 and in the United Arab Emirates, across Sharjah and Dubai, the Asian Cricket Council announced on Friday.

File photo: India will open the campaign against Pakistan in the second match of the tournament. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Men’s U-19 Asia Cup 2024 will begin on November 29 and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), across Sharjah and Dubai, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced on Friday.

The opening fixture of Asia Cup will be between defending champion Bangladesh and Afghanistan while India will open its campaign against arch-rival Pakistan, the next day.

The tournament comprises five full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and the top-three teams from the Men’s Under-19 Premier Cup 2023, Nepal, Japan and UAE.

This will be the 11th edition of the U-19 Asia Cup 2024, with the first being played in Bangladesh in 1989. The last three editions of the tournament, however, have all been played in the UAE.

Eight teams in the tournament, like the previous edition, has been distributed into two groups of four teams each, with each group comprising two full-members of ICC. Every matchday will have one game from each group, with the top two teams qualifying for the semifinals, set to be played on December 6.

The final is scheduled at the Dubai International Stadium on December 8.

India has been the most dominant team in the tournament, having won eight out of 10 titles. In the previous edition, however, it was knocked out by eventual winner Bangladesh in the semifinals.

Dubai is familiar territory for India, which had won its last U19 Asia Cup title at the same stadium, three years ago and it will look to take the lessons from the previous edition to try and go the distance this time around.