The International Cricket Council has officially unveiled the schedule for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, with co-hosts India and Sri Lanka set to stage the 20-team tournament across eight venues.
The tournament will feature 20 teams divided into four groups of five, following the same format as the 2024 edition. Italy will make their debut in the competition, placed in Group C alongside England and West Indies.
The tournament is scheduled to conclude with the final on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, a specific contingency plan has been established regarding Pakistan's participation. Due to the neutral-venue arrangement between the BCCI and PCB, all of Pakistan's matches will be held in Sri Lanka.
If Pakistan reaches the final, the summit clash will be shifted from Ahmedabad to Colombo. Similarly, if Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, the match designated for Kolkata will move to the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Group assignments see India joined by Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA in Group A. Group B features co-hosts Sri Lanka alongside Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman, with all their matches played in Sri Lanka. Group C consists of England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Italy, while Group D includes South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Eights stage.
The schedule launch event in Mumbai was presided over by ICC Chairman Jay Shah and featured Rohit Sharma, the 2024 World Cup-winning captain, who has been appointed as the ICC Brand Ambassador for the tournament.
Reflecting on his new role and the event's return to the subcontinent, Sharma said, "I have the good fortune of winning this tournament two times and can say from experience that each win in this tournament is a special one... It is great to have the tournament back in India and for me to be associated once again with the tournament, this time in a new capacity as the Brand Ambassador."
Eight venues have been selected to host the matches: Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata in India, and Colombo (R. Premadasa and SSC) and Kandy in Sri Lanka.
India's group stage journey will take them from Mumbai to Delhi to face Namibia on February 12, followed by a high-profile clash against Pakistan in Colombo on February 15. They will conclude their league engagements against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
