Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Host of the entire 2018 Afghanistan Premier League, including the final on 21 October 2018.
Capacity note: About 16,000
Venues
APL 2026 venues
Sharjah Cricket Stadium is the only ground this site can describe from an actual APL season. The UAE is the only host country confirmed for 2026. This page gives you the verified Sharjah record and the honest 2026 position, with no ground invented to fill a gap.
APL venues
| Venue | APL role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sharjah Cricket Stadium | Host of the entire 2018 season | Confirmed for 2018 |
| 2026 grounds | Hosts of the 2026 season | To be confirmed, UAE only |
Sharjah Cricket Stadium: the one confirmed APL ground
Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, hosted the entire 2018 Afghanistan Premier League. Its capacity is commonly listed at about 16,000, and the venue operator is the place to confirm a precise current figure before citing one in print. The ground's APL story is a single season, but it is a complete one: every confirmed 2018 match that this site can place was played there, from the opening days in October to the final.
The final, on 21 October 2018, sums up why Sharjah matters to APL history. Kabul Zwanan won the toss, batted first and made 132 for 9. Balkh Legends chased the target in 18.1 overs. Umpires that night were Anil Chaudhary of India and Ahmed Shah Pakteen of Afghanistan, and Qais Ahmad was named player of the match. The ground has a long memory beyond one Afghan season, with short boundaries by Test standards and evening dew in some months, and the 2018 APL showed both moods of the place in the same month.
Matches that made Sharjah an APL ground
Four matches explain the ground's APL character better than any single label. A high-scoring chase, a record total, a semi-final collapse and a final chase all happened on the same square.
| Date | Match | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 9 October 2018 | Kabul Zwanan chase | Hazratullah Zazai made 124 and shared a 144 stand with Luke Ronchi in a chase of 189. |
| 14 October 2018 | Balkh Legends against Kabul Zwanan | Balkh Legends made 244 for 6, the highest total of the tournament. |
| 19 October 2018 | Semi-final, Balkh Legends against Nangarhar Leopards | Balkh made 235 for 5 and bowled Nangarhar out for 64. |
| 21 October 2018 | Final, Kabul Zwanan against Balkh Legends | Kabul made 132 for 9 and Balkh chased it in 18.1 overs. |
APL 2026 venues: UAE confirmed, grounds to be confirmed
For 2026 the board and the league have said the season will be played at ICC-approved venues in the UAE. They have not, in the sources checked on 3 November 2026, named Sharjah, Dubai or Abu Dhabi as the grounds. This page does not promote Sharjah from 2018 host to 2026 host. The confirmed 2026 facts are the first ball on 27 December 2026 at 5:30 PM Afghanistan time, five teams, and 24 matches advertised. When a ground is named, it will appear on the APL schedule first, and this page will list it from the same announcement.
The same honesty applies to tickets. Sales for 2026 have not opened, and no seller or ticket URL has been announced. The tickets page carries the confirmed position and the checks to run before paying, and it will be the place to confirm a ground against a fixture once sales exist.
Visiting an APL match: what to check before you travel
How to reach a ground, which gate to use and what bag rules apply change by event, so this page does not publish a gate number or a transport route for a 2026 match that has no confirmed ground yet. Before booking travel, check three things against the official listing: the fixture date, the named ground, and the ticket seller. If any one of the three is missing, the trip is built on a guess. Buy only from the ACB, the league's own site, or the stadium operator once sales open, and match the ground on your ticket to the ground on the schedule page. The where to watch page covers following the season from home for fans who cannot travel.
Conclusion
APL venues, on verified evidence, come down to one confirmed ground and one confirmed host country. Sharjah Cricket Stadium hosted the whole 2018 season and produced both its highest total and its lowest. The UAE hosts 2026, and its grounds are still to be named. This page will add each ground the day the league names it, with the fixture list and the ticket position updated alongside. Until then, Sharjah is the history and the UAE is the plan, and neither is dressed up as more than that.
Venues frequently asked questions
Which grounds will host APL 2026 matches?
The host country is the UAE, but the league has not named the 2026 grounds yet. This page will list them once the ACB confirms them, and the schedule page will carry them first.
Which stadium hosted the 2018 APL?
Sharjah Cricket Stadium hosted the entire 2018 season, including the final on 21 October 2018, when Balkh Legends chased Kabul Zwanan's 132 for 9 in 18.1 overs.
What is Sharjah Cricket Stadium's capacity?
It is commonly listed at about 16,000. Confirm the current figure with the venue operator before citing a precise number in print.
Where will 2026 venue announcements appear first?
On the schedule page, which carries each fixture with its date, start time, teams and venue as soon as the ACB publishes it. This venues page is updated from the same announcements.