APL 2026 Start Date: 27 December in the UAE, Key Facts

The date has not moved. The ACB's draft release of 3 November 2026 says the inaugural season of the revived Afghanistan Premier League is scheduled to begin on 27 December in the United Arab Emirates. The official APL site gives the first ball as 5:30 PM Afghanistan time (5:30 PM Afghanistan time).

The venue wording comes from the board, quoted by Cricbuzz: the inaugural edition 'shall be hosted in the United Arab Emirates at ICC-approved venues', and subsequent editions 'may be hosted at alternative venues outside of the UAE'. No individual stadium had been named in the sources checked for this article.

The essentials published with the franchise launch were: five teams; each team plays a minimum of eight group matches; squads of 16 to 18 players recruited through a draft; and, in the playing XI, a maximum of four foreign players and one local emerging player among the remaining seven. The draft ended up producing 19-player squads once the five Afghan Icons are counted.

The same summary said the top team would go straight to the final, with second against third in an eliminator. The league has since advertised 24 matches, which fits a longer playoff. Until the playing conditions are published, the format page shows both readings rather than picking one.

Still to come: the fixture list, grounds, match times beyond the opener, broadcasters and tickets. The schedule, where to watch and tickets pages will change when the league announces them.