The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially announced the schedule for the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2025-26, the premier domestic first-class cricket tournament. The 10-team event will begin on October 6 and run through December 3, taking place across Abbottabad, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Rawalpindi. The final venue will be announced later.
The tournament will follow a single-league round-robin format, with nine rounds scheduled from October 6 to November 26. The top two teams will meet in a five-day final from November 29 to December 3. In total, 46 matches will be played. Four venues – Abbottabad Cricket Stadium, Shoaib Akhtar Stadium, Imran Khan Cricket Stadium, and Diamond and Marghzar Grounds – have been selected to host the games.
The 10 participating teams are: Abbottabad, Bahawalpur, FATA, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi Blues, Lahore Whites, Multan, Peshawar, and Sialkot. Notably, FATA, Faisalabad, Karachi Blues, and Multan earned their places in the tournament by finishing at the top of the Hanif Mohammad Trophy, a second-tier competition.
The opening round features a highly anticipated clash between defending champions Sialkot and Peshawar at the Imran Khan Stadium in Peshawar. The two sides last met in the final of the previous edition, where Sialkot won by just one wicket in a dramatic finish at the UBL Sports Complex.
The PCB confirmed that team squads will be announced soon, as the domestic cricket season begins to gain momentum. With strong regional rivalries and rising talent, the 2025-26 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy promises exciting competition and crucial opportunities for players aiming to break into the national squad.