The countdown has begun for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the tenth edition of the sport’s shortest and most explosive global format. Set to run from February to March 2026, the tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka—two cricketing giants with rich legacies and roaring fan bases. With the spotlight back on the subcontinent, expectations are soaring for a tournament packed with drama, upsets, and unforgettable moments.

This will be India’s first time hosting the men’s T20 World Cup since 2016, while Sri Lanka returns as a co-host after more than a decade. With the tournament expanding in format and qualification pathways, the focus is now on team preparations, squad developments, and the release of the official match schedule, which is expected in the coming months.

T20 World Cup 2026 Overview

Category	Details
Tournament	ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Edition	10th
Host Countries	India and Sri Lanka
Tentative Dates	7th February – 8th March 2026
Match Format	Twenty20 (20 overs per side)
Tournament Format	Group Stage (Qualifiers), Super Stage, Knockouts (Semi-finals & Final)
Total Teams	20 Participating Nations
Qualified Teams	India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Nepal, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Oman, Uganda, United States
Total Matches	55 (including group stages, semi-finals & final)
Venues	Multiple stadiums across India and Sri Lanka
First Match	February 2026 (Exact date TBA)
Final Match	March 2026 (Exact date and venue TBA)
Official Schedule	To Be Announced by ICC (Expected by June 2025)
Live Score & Updates	Available during the tournament (Live Score Feature)
Points Table	Updated After Each Match (T20 World Cup 2026 Standings)

T20 World Cup 2026 Groups & Format

The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams, divided into four groups of five. In the group stage, each team will play four matches. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight, where the pressure will rise and every match will matter even more.

Group	Teams
A	India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, United States
B	Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman, England
C	West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand
D	Netherlands, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

In the Super Eight, the qualified teams will battle for a place in the semi-finals, where the tournament becomes do-or-die. Two teams will reach the final, with everything on the line — one trophy, one champion. The ICC is expected to announce the official fixtures, match dates, and venues in the coming months, setting the stage for one of the most competitive editions yet.

T20 World Cup 2026 Schedule

While the official match schedule for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has not yet been confirmed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), a tentative schedule has been widely circulated among cricket analysts and media outlets. This provisional lineup includes key matchups, venues, and start times, and gives fans an early glimpse of what to expect in February and March 2026.

📌 Note: The schedule listed below is not yet officially confirmed by the ICC. Fixtures, dates, and venues are subject to change.

India

Group A – Match 1

Fri Feb 7, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Ireland

Pakistan

Group A – Match 2

Fri Feb 7, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Rajiv Gandhi Intl Stadium, Hyderabad

New Zealand

India

Group A – Match 3

Sat Feb 8, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Scotland

Pakistan

Group A – Match 4

Sat Feb 8, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Rajiv Gandhi Intl Stadium, Hyderabad

Canada

India

Group A – Match 5

Sun Feb 9, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Pakistan

Pakistan

Group A – Match 6

Sun Feb 9, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Rajiv Gandhi Intl Stadium, Hyderabad

Bangladesh

India

Group A – Match 7

Mon Feb 10, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Rajiv Gandhi Intl Stadium, Hyderabad

Maldives

Pakistan

Group A – Match 8

Mon Feb 10, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Ireland

India

Group A – Match 9

Tue Feb 11, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Group A – Match 10

Tue Feb 11, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Canada

England

Group B – Match 1

Wed Feb 12, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Afghanistan

Australia

Group B – Match 2

Wed Feb 12, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

USA

England

Group B – Match 3

Thu Feb 13, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Oman

Australia

Group B – Match 4

Thu Feb 13, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Namibia

England

Group B – Match 5

Fri Feb 14, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

West Indies

Australia

Group B – Match 6

Fri Feb 14, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Afghanistan

England

Group B – Match 7

Sat Feb 15, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Oman

Australia

Group B – Match 8

Sat Feb 15, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Namibia

England

Group B – Match 9

Sun Feb 16, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Namibia

Australia

Group B – Match 10

Sun Feb 16, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

West Indies

Sri Lanka

Group C – Match 1

Mon Feb 17, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Nepal

Bangladesh

Group C – Match 2

Mon Feb 17, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

PCA IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

Zimbabwe

Sri Lanka

Group C – Match 3

Tue Feb 18, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Ireland

Bangladesh

Group C – Match 4

Tue Feb 18, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

PCA IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

New Zealand

Sri Lanka

Group C – Match 5

Wed Feb 19, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Mozambique

Bangladesh

Group C – Match 6

Wed Feb 19, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Nepal

West Indies

Group D – Match 1

Thu Feb 20, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Uganda

South Africa

Group D – Match 2

Thu Feb 20, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Netherlands

West Indies

Group D – Match 3

Fri Feb 21, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Bhutan

South Africa

Group D – Match 4

Fri Feb 21, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Malaysia

West Indies

Group D – Match 5

Sat Feb 22, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

South Africa

South Africa

Group D – Match 6

Sat Feb 22, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Netherlands

India

Super 8 – Match 1

Sun Feb 23, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Rajiv Gandhi Intl Stadium, Hyderabad

Australia

England

Super 8 – Match 2

Sun Feb 23, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Pakistan

South Africa

Super 8 – Match 3

Mon Feb 24, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Bangladesh

West Indies

Super 8 – Match 4

Mon Feb 24, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Sri Lanka

India

Super 8 – Match 5

Tue Feb 25, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

PCA IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali

England

Australia

Super 8 – Match 6

Tue Feb 25, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Pakistan

South Africa

Super 8 – Match 7

Wed Feb 26, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Sri Lanka

West Indies

Super 8 – Match 8

Wed Feb 26, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Bangladesh

India

Super 8 – Match 9

Thu Feb 27, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

South Africa

Australia

Super 8 – Match 10

Thu Feb 27, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

West Indies

England

Super 8 – Match 11

Fri Feb 28, 2026

3:00 PM IST / 9:30 AM GMT / LOCAL

M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Super 8 – Match 12

Fri Feb 28, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Rajiv Gandhi Intl Stadium, Hyderabad

Sri Lanka

India

Semi-Final 1

Wed Mar 5, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

England

Australia

Semi-Final 2

Thu Mar 6, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Eden Gardens, Kolkata

South Africa

India

Final

Sun Mar 8, 2026

7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT / LOCAL

Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

Australia

Qualification for T20 World Cup 2026

A total of 20 teams will take part in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, earning their spots through a combination of automatic qualification and regional qualifiers.

As co-hosts, India and Sri Lanka receive direct entries. They’ll be joined by the top eight teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup, securing their places based on previous performance. In addition, the three highest-ranked teams in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings (as of 30 June 2024) who have not already qualified will get a direct spot.

The remaining eight places will be decided through regional qualifiers, giving emerging teams from Africa, Europe, Asia–East Asia-Pacific, and the Americas a chance to book their ticket to the big stage.

T20 World Cup 2026: Qualified Teams List & Pathways

Method of Qualification	Qualified Teams	Details
Hosts (Direct Entry)	India, Sri Lanka	Qualified as co-hosts
Top 8 Teams – T20 World Cup 2024	Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States, West Indies	Excludes hosts; based on 2024 tournament performance
ICC T20I Team Rankings (30 June 2024)	Pakistan, New Zealand, Ireland	Best-ranked teams not already qualified
Americas Qualifier	Canada	Qualified via Americas regional tournament (June 2025)
Europe Qualifier (July 2025)	TBD (2 Teams)	Top two teams from European region to be determined
Africa Qualifier (Sept–Oct 2025)	TBD (2 Teams)	Top two teams from African qualifier in Zimbabwe
Asia–East Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifier (Oct 2025)	TBD (3 Teams)	Three teams from combined Asia & EAP qualifier in Oman
Total Teams	20

T20 World Cup 2026 Points Table

Team	M	W	L	Pts	NRR
India	0	0	0	0	0
Sri Lanka	0	0	0	0	0
Australia	0	0	0	0	0
Afghanistan	0	0	0	0	0
Bangladesh	0	0	0	0	0
West Indies	0	0	0	0	0
South Africa	0	0	0	0	0
USA	0	0	0	0	0
England	0	0	0	0	0
Pakistan	0	0	0	0	0
Ireland	0	0	0	0	0
New Zealand	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0
TBC	0	0	0	0	0

T20 World Cup 2026 Tickets

Cricket fans around the world are eagerly waiting for T20 World Cup 2026 ticket sales to open. Since India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the tournament, tickets are expected to be available through popular platforms like Paytm, Insider, and BookMyShow in India, along with official Sri Lankan ticketing partners to be announced later.

Fans will also be able to buy tickets offline at selected stadium box offices and authorized retail counters in major cities. Details about ticket prices, categories, and booking windows are yet to be released. Stay tuned for official announcements from the ICC, BCCI, and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on ticket sale dates, prices, and seating availability.

T20 World Cup 2026 Broadcast TV Channels & Live Streaming

Country	TV Broadcast & Live Stream
India & Subcontinent	Star Sports, Disney+ Hotstar app and website
Australia	Fox Sports, Kayo Sports
South Africa	SuperSport
Bangladesh	Gazi TV (GTV), Rabbithole, Toffee app and websites
Afghanistan	Ariana TV
New Zealand	Sky Sport NZ
UK	Sky Sports Cricket, Sky Go app
USA	Willow TV, ESPN+
Sri Lanka	SLRC (Channel Eye), Dialog TV
Canada	Willow Canada
Pakistan	PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Tamasha app
MENA	STARZPLAY via CricLife MAX
UAE	CricLife MAX via eLife TV, Switch TV
Caribbean	ESPN Caribbean

T20 World Cup: History, Records, and Key Highlights

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is one of cricket’s most exciting global events, organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Since its launch in 2007, the T20 World Cup has redefined the sport, bringing high-octane drama, nail-biting finishes, and a platform for emerging stars.

Every edition showcases top cricketing nations battling it out in the shortest, most explosive format of the game. From underdog upsets to record-breaking performances, the T20 World Cup never fails to deliver unforgettable entertainment to fans worldwide.

History of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

The first ICC T20 World Cup was staged in South Africa in 2007, where India triumphed over Pakistan in a thrilling final. Since then, the event has typically been held every 2–4 years, growing steadily in prestige and popularity.

Originally featuring 12 teams, the tournament has now expanded to include 20 teams in 2026, opening doors for more nations to compete and shine on the world stage.

Key Records in T20 World Cup History

Most Runs

Player	Country	Runs
Virat Kohli	India	1,141
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	1,016
Chris Gayle	West Indies	965

Most Wickets

Player	Country	Wickets
Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	47
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	39
Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka	38

Highest & Lowest Team Totals

• Highest: Sri Lanka – 260/6 vs Kenya (2007)
• Lowest: Netherlands – 39 vs Sri Lanka (2014)

Best Bowling Figures in an Innings

• Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka): 6/8 vs Zimbabwe (2012)

Memorable Moments in T20 World Cup

Year	Match/Event	Details
2007	India’s Inaugural Win	MS Dhoni-led India won the inaugural final vs Pakistan, dramatic final over
2007	Chris Gayle’s Century	Gayle smashed 117 against South Africa, first T20 WC century
2009	Pakistan’s Triumph	Younis Khan’s Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka to lift their maiden title
2016	Carlos Brathwaite’s Four Sixes	Brathwaite’s four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes stunned England
2022	England’s Redemption	England became first team to hold ODI + T20 titles together

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Winners List & Hosts

Year	Host	Winner	Runner-Up	Format	Final Venue
2007	South Africa	India	Pakistan	T20	Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
2009	England	Pakistan	Sri Lanka	T20	Lord’s, London
2010	West Indies	England	Australia	T20	Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
2012	Sri Lanka	West Indies	Sri Lanka	T20	R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
2014	Bangladesh	Sri Lanka	India	T20	Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka
2016	India	West Indies	England	T20	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
2021	UAE & Oman	Australia	New Zealand	T20	Dubai International Stadium
2022	Australia	England	Pakistan	T20	Melbourne Cricket Ground