ICC Rules In T20 World Cup 2026: The T20 World Cup 2026 will be played from February 7 to March 8. The matches will take place in India and Sri Lanka. The first game of the tournament is planned between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo. But Pakistan’s entry in the tournament is still not fully confirmed. A final decision is expected on Monday after talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan government.
This will be the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup. Even with the changes, the format of the tournament remains the same.
A total of 20 teams will take part and play 55 T20 matches across eight stadiums in India and Sri Lanka. The teams are divided into four groups, with five teams in each group. Every team will play four matches in the group stage before the tournament moves to the Super 8 round.
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Hosts and Venues
India and Sri Lanka are hosting the tournament together.
Here’s a list of the venues:
India:
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sri Lanka:
- R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
- Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Colombo
Pakistan’s Matches
Pakistan’s matches are planned to be played in Colombo. This includes the high-profile match against India on February 15. If Pakistan qualifies for the semifinal, that match will also be held in Colombo. If Pakistan does not reach the semifinal, then the game will be played in Kolkata. The other semifinal is expected to take place in Mumbai.
The final match location also depends on Pakistan’s performance. If Pakistan reaches the final, it will be played in Colombo. If Pakistan does not qualify, then the final will be held at the famous Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Scotland Replaces Bangladesh
One of the biggest surprises before the tournament has been Scotland’s entry. Scotland did not qualify through the normal qualification process. But after Bangladesh was removed from the tournament, the ICC selected Scotland as the replacement based on rankings.
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This will be the first time Bangladesh will not play in a T20 World Cup. Bangladesh had taken part in all nine previous editions.
T20 World Cup 2026 Groups
- Group A: Namibia, Netherlands, USA, Pakistan, India
- Group B: Oman, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Australia
- Group C: Italy, Nepal, Scotland, West Indies, England
- Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, UAE
The two best-performing Super 8 teams will enter the semifinals.
Here’s a breakdown of the tournament’s schedule:
- Group stage: February 7 – 20
- Super 8: February 21 – March 1
- Semifinals: March 4 and 5
- Final: March 8
Full match schedule
Group stage
Saturday, February 7
Netherlands vs Pakistan at 11am (05:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
Scotland vs West Indies at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
India vs USA at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sunday, February 8
Afghanistan vs New Zealand at 11am (05:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
England vs Nepal at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sri Lanka vs Ireland at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Monday, February 9
Scotland vs Italy at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Oman vs Zimbabwe at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
Canada vs South Africa at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Tuesday, February 10
Namibia vs Netherlands at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
New Zealand vs UAE at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Pakistan vs USA at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
Wednesday, February 11
Afghanistan vs South Africa at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Australia vs Ireland at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
England vs West Indies at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thursday, February 12
Sri Lanka vs Oman at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Italy vs Nepal at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
India vs Namibia at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Friday, February 13
Australia vs Zimbabwe at 11am (05:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Canada vs UAE at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Netherlands vs USA at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Saturday, February 14
Ireland vs Oman at 11am (05:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
Scotland vs England at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
New Zealand vs South Africa at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Sunday, February 15
Nepal vs West Indies at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Namibia vs USA at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
India vs Pakistan at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Monday, February 16
Afghanistan vs UAE at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
England vs Italy at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Australia vs Sri Lanka at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Tuesday, February 17
Canada vs New Zealand at 11am (05:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Ireland vs Zimbabwe at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Scotland vs Nepal at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Wednesday, February 18
South Africa vs UAE at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Namibia vs Pakistan at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
India vs Netherlands at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Thursday, February 19
Italy vs West Indies at 11am (05:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Afghanistan vs Canada at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Friday, February 20
Australia vs Oman at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Super 8
Saturday, February 21
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sunday, February 22
TBD vs TBD at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Monday, February 23
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Tuesday, February 24
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Wednesday, February 25
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thursday, February 26
TBD vs TBD at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Friday, February 27
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Saturday, February 28
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sunday, March 1
TBD vs TBD at 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
TBD vs TBD at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Knockouts
Wednesday, March 4
First semifinal at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata or R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thursday, March 5
Second semifinal at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sunday, March 8
Final at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad or R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
