T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule Announced
DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially released the complete schedule and group allocations for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly staged by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
A total of 20 teams will participate, split into five groups of four. The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Eight, where the qualifiers will be reorganized into two groups of four before the knockout stage.
India, the defending champions, have been drawn alongside Pakistan, Netherlands, Namibia, and the USA — setting up another highly anticipated India–Pakistan encounter early in the competition.
Co-hosts Sri Lanka face a challenging group featuring Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman, making their path to the next round considerably tougher.
Another group includes England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, and Nepal, while the remaining pool has South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, UAE, and Canada.
Pakistan will kick off their campaign in Colombo with a day of double-header action, taking on the Netherlands, followed by India opening their title defense against the USA in Mumbai. Pakistan’s next outing comes on February 10, when they face the USA — a team that shocked them in the 2024 edition.
The marquee clash between Pakistan and India is locked in for February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Pakistan will play their final group-stage match against Namibia on February 18, also in Colombo.
Due to the Fusion Formula, which prevents Pakistan and India from touring each other for ICC events over the next three years, Pakistan will remain in Sri Lanka for the entirety of their tournament run. If they qualify for the semi-finals or final, those knockout games will also be held in Colombo. Otherwise, the semi-final and final will be hosted in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, respectively.
The Super Eight phase begins on February 21 in Colombo and finishes on March 1 in Kolkata. The first semi-final will be played on March 4 and the second on March 5, followed by the final on March 8.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 – Group Stage Fixtures
February 7
Pakistan vs Netherlands – Colombo
West Indies vs Bangladesh – Kolkata
India vs USA – Mumbai
February 8
New Zealand vs Afghanistan – Chennai
England vs Nepal – Mumbai
Sri Lanka vs Ireland – Colombo
February 9
Bangladesh vs Italy – Kolkata
Zimbabwe vs Oman – Colombo
South Africa vs Canada – Ahmedabad
February 10
Netherlands vs Namibia – Delhi
New Zealand vs UAE – Chennai
Pakistan vs USA – Colombo
February 11
South Africa vs Afghanistan – Ahmedabad
Australia vs Ireland – Colombo
England vs West Indies – Mumbai
February 12
Sri Lanka vs Oman – Kandy
Nepal vs Italy – Mumbai
India vs Namibia – Delhi
February 13
Australia vs Zimbabwe – Colombo
Canada vs UAE – Delhi
USA vs Netherlands – Chennai
February 14
Ireland vs Oman – Colombo
England vs Bangladesh – Kolkata
New Zealand vs South Africa – Ahmedabad
February 15
West Indies vs Nepal – Mumbai
USA vs Namibia – Chennai
India vs Pakistan – Colombo
February 16
Afghanistan vs UAE – Delhi
England vs Italy – Kolkata
Australia vs Sri Lanka – Kandy
February 17
New Zealand vs Canada – Chennai
Ireland vs Zimbabwe – Kandy
Bangladesh vs Nepal – Mumbai
February 18
South Africa vs UAE – Delhi
Pakistan vs Namibia – Colombo
India vs Netherlands – Ahmedabad
February 19
West Indies vs Italy – Kolkata
Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe – Colombo
Afghanistan vs Canada – Chennai
February 20
Australia vs Oman – Kandy
Super Eight Fixtures
February 21
Y2 vs Y3 – Colombo
February 22
Y1 vs Y4 – Kandy
X1 vs X4 – Ahmedabad
February 23
X2 vs X3 – Mumbai
February 24
Y1 vs Y3 – Kandy
February 25
Y2 vs Y4 – Colombo
February 26
X3 vs X4 – Colombo
X1 vs X2 – Chennai
February 27
Y1 vs Y2 – Colombo
February 28
Y3 vs Y4 – Kandy
March 1
X2 vs X4 – Delhi
X1 vs X3 – Kolkata
Knockout Stage
March 4
Semi-final 1 – Colombo or Kolkata
March 5
Semi-final 2 – Mumbai
March 8
Final – Colombo or Ahmedabad
