T20 World Cup 2026 - Discussion thread

[Ball Blazer]

The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be the 10th edition of the tournament, scheduled from 7 February to 8 March 2026. It will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka and organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The event will follow the Twenty20 International format, featuring group stages, Super 8s, and knockout rounds. A total of 20 teams will play across 55 matches, with India entering as the defending champions after winning the 2024 edition.

India and Sri Lanka qualified automatically as hosts. They will be joined by Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and West Indies — the top seven teams from the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. Based on ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan have also booked their places.

The remaining eight teams earned their spots through regional qualifiers. Canada qualified from the Americas region, Italy and the Netherlands from Europe, Namibia and Zimbabwe from Africa, and Nepal, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates from the combined Asia–EAP region.

This tournament will also mark Italy’s historic debut in a major ICC event. With 20 teams from all continents, the 2026 T20 World Cup promises an exciting blend of experience, competition, and new talent.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Ahmedabad, Kolkata shortlisted to host 2026 T20 World Cup semis

The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata have been shortlisted for the semifinals of the T20 World Cup slated for February-March next year. Jointly hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the International Cricket Council (ICC) has zeroed in on eight venues for the World Cup.

Five cities in India - Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai besides Ahmedabad and Kolkata - and three venues in Sri Lanka - two stadiums in Colombo and another in Kandy - have been finalised, with no decision yet on the venue for the final. It will depend on which teams reach the title clash and, more crucially, whether one of them is Pakistan. Ahmedabad remains an option to host the final should Pakistan not qualify.

As for the semifinals, should Sri Lanka or Pakistan reach the last four stage, that particular match will be played in Colombo. If neither reaches the last-four stage, both semifinals will be played in India. The final, of course, will be played in Colombo, should Pakistan go that far. The final decisions on these aspects have been kept open-ended.

According to an October 17 ICC release, the 20-team tournament will be played in the same format as the 2024 event in the USA and West Indies with the teams placed in four different groups of five sides each. All 13 Test playing countries apart, Canada, the Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, Oman and Namibia have qualified for the month-long event. European minnows Italy will be the debutants for the global championship.

The group stage will be followed by a Super Eights phase that will include the top two finishers from each group. "The Super Eights will feature two groups of four sides, with the top two finishers from each group then progressing to the knockout semifinals," the ICC said.

India are the defending champions of the World Cup, having won in June 2024, beating South Africa in the final. The ICC is expected to release the schedule, along with the groupings, in a few days.

Saikia-Naqvi meet held outside of ICC purview

Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the meeting between Devajit Saikia and Mohsin Naqvi took place outside of the recent ICC meetings. Sources said the meeting, although facilitated by a couple of ICC officials, was independent of the ICC sessions and that the matter was not discussed even during informal board interactions. Contrary to reports in a section of the media, the issue was never part of the ICC meeting agenda.

The officials of the two boards met to break the deadlock over the Asia Cup Trophy. It was felt by the officials that there is a need to resolve the issue early and as reported by this website, the meeting was held in an atmosphere of cordiality.

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/136264/ahmedabad-kolkata-shortlisted-to-host-2026-t20-world-cup-semis

 

[Kianig89]

So T20 WC is in Ramzan Mubarak , got it

 

[GoUgandaCranes]

Italy winning the super over after scoring 20 runs in the last over of the regular match bowled by Raufale is what I'm here for.

 

[hassan918]

Italy winning the super over after scoring 20 runs in the last over of the regular match bowled by Raufale is what I'm here for.

We all know, that's not gonna happen

 

[Devadwal]

Less then 3 months left for tournament to start and schedule yet to come. Pathetic from ICC/ BCCI

 

[Devadwal]

There are four groups of five teams each, With two sides from each pool qualifying for the Super Eight stage.

India ,Pakistan ,Netherlands ,USA, Nambia = India , Pakistan

SL , Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman = Australia , SL/ Zimbabwe

England, WI, Bangladesh, Nepal and Italy = England and WI

South Africa, NZ , Afghanistan , UAE, Canada = South Africa and Afghanistan/ NZ

 

[Devadwal]

Pakistan fans are you feeling nervous as Pakistan will face USA @Rana @The Bald Eagle @gazza619

 

[RehanG]

There are four groups of five teams each, With two sides from each pool qualifying for the Super Eight stage.

India ,Pakistan ,Netherlands ,USA, Nambia = India , Pakistan

SL , Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman = Australia , SL/ Zimbabwe

England, WI, Bangladesh, Nepal and Italy = England and WI

South Africa, NZ , Afghanistan , UAE, Canada = South Africa and Afghanistan/ NZ

is this confirmed.

 

[Vikram1989]

https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/136415/india-grouped-with-pakistan-usa-namibia-and-netherlands-for-2026-t20-world-cup-cricbuzzcom

India and Sri Lanka, the joint hosts of the Twenty20 World Cup early next year, appear to have received contrasting draws. Top-ranked India are placed, arguably, in an easy cluster - something Pakistan could also claim - but Sri Lanka may not necessarily feel as lucky. The island nation (No 8 in the ICC rankings) is grouped with three other full-member Test-playing sides - Australia (No 2), Zimbabwe (No 11) and Ireland (No 12) - along with Oman (No. 20). It could be a group of death.

On the other hand, India and Pakistan (No 7) are the only Test-playing nations in their bracket, with the Netherlands (No 13), Namibia (No 15) and the USA (No 18) completing the five-team lineup. With two sides from each pool qualifying for the Super Eight stage, it should be a straightforward route for the arch-rivals to advance to the next round irrespective of the result in their blockbuster face-off, in the second weekend of the championship - February 15. It is, of course, imperative to add a disclaimer here: Pakistan had lost to the USA in the previous edition in 2024.

There are four groups of five teams each, and there may be a case for arguing that there are multiple 'groups of death' in the preliminary stage. England (No 3) and the West Indies (No 6), both former champions, are drawn together with Bangladesh (No 9) - a full member and a formidable side, particularly in subcontinental conditions. The three are grouped alongside Nepal (No 17) and rank outsiders Italy, the 28th-ranked team in the world.

Runners-up South Africa (No 5) are also in a tough cluster. Theoretically, they may have to overcome at least one of New Zealand (No 4) or Afghanistan (No 10) - no easy pushovers in T20 cricket - to advance to the next round, especially given that they can expect an easier time against the UAE (No 16) and Canada (No 18), the other two teams in their group, in the February 7-March 8 championship.

India open their World Cup campaign against the USA, followed by league fixtures against Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands. As per a pre-arranged agreement, the big India-Pakistan match will be played in Colombo. As reported by Cricbuzz before, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Ahmedabad are the cities that will host matches in India. In Sri Lanka, Kandy will be a venue in addition to the two international grounds in Colombo.

Ahmedabad is slated to host the final, unless, of course, Pakistan make the title clash. Mumbai and Kolkata are in line for the semifinal matches, depending on which teams qualify for the last-four stage. Colombo is shortlisted for one semifinal and the final, should Pakistan advance that far in the championship.

The first two teams from each pool will qualify for the Super Eight, from which the top four sides will progress to the semifinals, followed by the final. The International Cricket Council (ICC) will unveil the draw in Mumbai on November 25.

 

[Vikram1989]

Less then 3 months left for tournament to start and schedule yet to come. Pathetic from ICC/ BCCI

On nov 25, icc will unveil the schedule in Mumbai

 

[BouncerGuy]

No matter what the schedule is... India-Pakistan game will be the biggest one

 

[Aami]

Paisa ...