The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 runs across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. This marks the tenth edition of the tournament.
India won the 2024 title in Barbados, defeating South Africa by seven runs in the final at Kensington Oval.
The tournament features 20 teams for the second consecutive edition. This guide covers the tentative schedule, host nations, and all 20 participating countries with their qualification paths.
Read on for complete details about the 2026 edition.
When Is The ICC T20 World Cup 2026?
The ICC T20 World Cup window tentatively runs from February 7 to March 8, 2026. The ICC has not released the official fixture list yet. Matches will be played in five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.
The final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan is playing. Interestingly, India and Pakistan are not playing in each other’s countries due to strained political relations between the two governments at present.
Who Is Hosting The ICC T20 World Cup 2026?
India and Sri Lanka will co-host the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, with India hosting it for the first time since 2016 and Sri Lanka since 2012.
Pakistan will play all its matches only in Sri Lanka due to an agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Pakistan Cricket Board on neutral venues.
Full Schedule Of ICC T20 World Cup 2026
This long table states the date, time, and venue of the entire tournament in one go. The group stage is divided into four groups of twenty teams, followed by Super 8, semi-finals, and then finals.
| Date | Group / Stage | Match | Time (Local) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7 | Group A | Pakistan vs Netherlands | 11:00 AM | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club |
| Feb 7 | Group C | West Indies vs Bangladesh | 3:00 PM | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Feb 7 | Group A | India vs the United States | 7:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 8 | Group D | New Zealand vs Afghanistan | 11:00 AM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 8 | Group C | England vs Nepal | 3:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 8 | Group B | Sri Lanka vs Ireland | 7:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 9 | Group C | Bangladesh vs Italy | 11:00 AM | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Feb 9 | Group B | Zimbabwe vs Oman | 3:00 PM | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club |
| Feb 9 | Group D | South Africa vs Canada | 7:00 PM | Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi Stadium |
| Feb 10 | Group A | Netherlands vs Namibia | 11:00 AM | Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| Feb 10 | Group D | New Zealand vs UAE | 3:00 PM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 10 | Group A | Pakistan vs USA | 7:00 PM | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club |
| Feb 11 | Group D | South Africa vs Afghanistan | 11:00 AM | Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi Stadium |
| Feb 11 | Group B | Australia vs Ireland | 3:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 11 | Group C | England vs West Indies | 7:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 12 | Group B | Sri Lanka vs Oman | 11:00 AM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Feb 12 | Group C | Nepal vs Italy | 3:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 12 | Group A | India vs Namibia | 7:00 PM | Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| Feb 13 | Group B | Australia vs Zimbabwe | 11:00 AM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 13 | Group D | Canada vs UAE | 3:00 PM | Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| Feb 13 | Group A | USA vs Netherlands | 7:00 PM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 14 | Group B | Ireland vs Oman | 11:00 AM | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club |
| Feb 14 | Group C | England vs Bangladesh | 3:00 PM | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Feb 14 | Group D | New Zealand vs South Africa | 7:00 PM | Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi Stadium |
| Feb 15 | Group C | West Indies vs Nepal | 11:00 AM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 15 | Group A | USA vs Namibia | 3:00 PM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 15 | Group A | India vs Pakistan | 7:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 16 | Group D | Afghanistan vs UAE | 11:00 AM | Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| Feb 16 | Group C | England vs Italy | 3:00 PM | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Feb 16 | Group B | Australia vs Sri Lanka | 7:00 PM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Feb 17 | Group D | New Zealand vs Canada | 11:00 AM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 17 | Group B | Ireland vs Zimbabwe | 3:00 PM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Feb 17 | Group C | Bangladesh vs Nepal | 7:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 18 | Group D | South Africa vs UAE | 11:00 AM | Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| Feb 18 | Group A | Pakistan vs Namibia | 3:00 PM | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club |
| Feb 18 | Group A | India vs Netherlands | 7:00 PM | Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi Stadium |
| Feb 19 | Group C | West Indies vs Italy | 11:00 AM | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Feb 19 | Group B | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe | 3:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 19 | Group D | Afghanistan vs Canada | 7:00 PM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 20 | Group B | Australia vs Oman | 7:00 PM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Feb 21 | Super 8 | Group 2: Y2 vs Y3 | 7:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 22 | Super 8 | Group 2: Y1 vs Y4 | 3:00 PM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Feb 22 | Super 8 | Group 1: X1 vs X4 | 7:00 PM | Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi Stadium |
| Feb 23 | Super 8 | Group 1: X2 vs X3 | 7:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Feb 24 | Super 8 | Group 2: Y1 vs Y3 | 7:00 PM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Feb 25 | Super 8 | Group 2: Y2 vs Y4 | 7:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 26 | Super 8 | Group 1: X3 vs X4 | 3:00 PM | Ahmedabad, Narendra Modi Stadium |
| Feb 26 | Super 8 | Group 1: X1 vs X2 | 7:00 PM | Chennai, MA Chidambaram Stadium |
| Feb 27 | Super 8 | Group 2: Y1 vs Y2 | 7:00 PM | Colombo, R Premadasa Stadium |
| Feb 28 | Super 8 | Group 2: Y3 vs Y4 | 7:00 PM | Pallekele Stadium |
| Mar 1 | Super 8 | Group 1: X2 vs X4 | 3:00 PM | Delhi, Arun Jaitley Stadium |
| Mar 1 | Super 8 | Group 1: X1 vs X3 | 7:00 PM | Kolkata, Eden Gardens |
| Mar 4 | Semi Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:00 PM | TBC |
| Mar 5 | Semi Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:00 PM | Mumbai, Wankhede Stadium |
| Mar 8 | Final | TBD vs TBD | 7:00 PM | TBC |
*TBC – The stadiums will be confirmed for these matches, depending on Pakistan’s qualification.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Participating Countries
Twenty nations will compete in the tournament, drawn from qualification pathways across continents. Italy qualified for their first-ever World Cup after edging Jersey on net run rate in the European Qualifier.
| Team | Entry Route |
|---|---|
| India | Host Country |
| Sri Lanka | Host Country |
| South Africa | 1st in Super 8 (Top 7) |
| Afghanistan | 2nd in Super 8 (Top 7) |
| Australia | Top 7 in 2024 |
| Bangladesh | Top 7 in 2024 |
| England | Top 7 in 2024 |
| USA | Top 7 in 2024 |
| West Indies | Top 7 in 2024 |
| Ireland | ICC T20I Rankings |
| New Zealand | ICC T20I Rankings |
| Pakistan | ICC T20I Rankings |
| Canada | Americas Qualifier |
| Italy | Europe Qualifier |
| Netherlands | Europe Qualifier |
| Namibia | Africa Qualifier |
| Zimbabwe | Africa Qualifier |
| Nepal | Asia–EAP Qualifier |
| Oman | Asia–EAP Qualifier |
| UAE | Asia–EAP Qualifier |
Afghanistan reached their first T20 World Cup semi-final in 2024, with Rashid Khan calling their 84-run thrashing of New Zealand one of their greatest performances. Khan moved to the top of the T20I wicket list with 165 wickets in September 2025.
The USA made history by reaching the Super Eight stage in 2024 after victories against Canada and Pakistan. They lost to South Africa 194-176 in their opening Super 8 match despite Andries Gous’s late surge.
Nepal beat West Indies by 90 runs in September 2025. The team qualified for the 2026 edition after defeating the UAE and Qatar in the Asia Qualifier. Ben Manenti scored 30 and Grant Stewart added 25 in Italy’s qualification match against the Netherlands.
The Italians needed to avoid a heavy defeat and stretched the Dutch chase to 16.2 overs. Jersey shocked Scotland with a one-wicket victory off the final ball but missed out on qualification.
Bangladesh struggled in 2024, losing a series to the USA before the World Cup. Zimbabwe and Namibia secured their places after reaching the finals of the Africa Qualifiers in October 2025. England won the 2022 title in Australia.
West Indies recently swept South Africa 3-0 in a home T20I series. Oman qualified alongside Nepal from the Asia region.
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Conclusion: The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Will Tentatively Run From February 7 to March 8 Across India & Sri Lanka!
The tournament brings T20 cricket back to South Asia after the 2024 edition in the West Indies and the USA. The format remains the same as in 2024, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five.
The top two from each group advance to the Super 8 stage, where eight teams are split into two groups of four. The top two from each Super 8 group qualify for the semi-finals. The entire tournament will span 55 matches over five weeks.
Five Indian venues and three Sri Lankan grounds will host the matches. Ticket sales have not opened yet, but are expected through platforms like Paytm and BookMyShow in India.
FAQs
Indian venues include Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Delhi stadiums. Sri Lanka will use two stadiums in Colombo and the Pallekele grounds. The final location depends on which teams reach the title match due to neutral venue requirements.
Italy finished level with Jersey on five points in the European Qualifier but progressed on a superior net run rate. They lost to the Netherlands but stretched the chase to 16.2 overs, which proved enough after Jersey beat Scotland off the last ball.
Twenty teams split into four groups of five play round-robin matches. The top two from each group advance to Super 8, forming two groups of four. The top two from each Super 8 group reach the semi-finals before the final on March 8.
A December 2024 agreement between BCCI and PCB requires India and Pakistan matches at ICC events to be played at neutral venues until 2027. This means Pakistan cannot play in India, restricting them to Sri Lankan grounds only.
India won the 2024 title by beating South Africa in Barbados. They enter as defending champions and hosts. South Africa finished as runners-up while Afghanistan reached their first semi-final.
