Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament 2026 to begin on August 29

Afghanistan's premier domestic first-class competition returns this year, with the ninth edition of the Ahmad Shah Abdali First Class Tournament scheduled to open on August 29 and run through to October 8, 2026. Spread across 41 days, the competition will feature 13 matches played under a double round-robin group format before a final decides the champion.

Maiwand Champions, Mahipar Stars, Hindukush Strikers and Pamir Legends are the four sides taking part. All group-stage and knockout fixtures will be staged across two provinces, Khost and Nangarhar, giving the tournament a regional spread throughout its window.

Maiwand Champions carry the defending-champion tag into this edition, having claimed the title at the conclusion of the 2025 tournament, which was the eighth edition of the competition. Their triumph in 2025 sets them apart as the side to beat as the ninth edition gets underway.

Which fixture opens the 2026 Ahmad Shah Abdali Tournament?

The competition gets underway on August 29 with a match between Maiwand Champions and Mahipar Stars at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Cricket Ground. The venue, located in Nangarhar, hosts the opening day of what will be a 41-day campaign across the two provinces.

For Maiwand Champions, the fixture represents an immediate chance to signal their intentions as title holders. Mahipar Stars, meanwhile, will be looking to make a strong start against the side that lifted the trophy in 2025.

Under the double round-robin structure, each of the four teams will meet every other side twice during the group stage. Across 13 scheduled matches, all four squads will have sufficient opportunity to accumulate points and build their case for a place in the final. The format ensures that no single result is decisive and that every team has a genuine route to the knockout stage, provided they perform consistently across both rounds of fixtures.

When does the final of the 2026 Ahmad Shah Abdali Tournament take place?

The final is scheduled to begin on October 4, with the tournament's official close set for October 8. The concluding fixture will bring together the top two sides from the group stage, with the exact venue subject to the arrangements confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board.

All four teams, Maiwand Champions, Mahipar Stars, Hindukush Strikers and Pamir Legends, will be targeting a place in that final. Maiwand Champions will be aiming to retain the title they won in the 2025 edition, while the remaining three sides will each be seeking to go one better than their previous campaign and claim the trophy for the first time or add to their own record in the competition.

The ninth edition marks another step in the growth of Afghanistan's domestic first-class structure. With matches spread across Khost and Nangarhar, the tournament continues to provide competitive red-ball cricket for Afghanistan's leading domestic players ahead of the international calendar.

(Inputs from Afghanistan Cricket Board Media)