Kathmandu, Sept. 13 -- Nepal defeated their arch rivals, the United Arab Emirates, in the final of the ACC Men's Premier Cup at Bayuemas Cricket Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday to book their tickets to the 2027 Asia Cup.

The 2027 Asia Cup is being hosted by Bangladesh in June-July next year between six teams. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are the five ICC full members to directly qualify for the event. The remaining one spot is for the winner of the Premier Cup.

It is only the second time that Nepal will play in the Asia Cup, the biggest continental cricket tournament. The first time was in 2023, when the tournament was co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Nepal had qualified for it by defeating the ...