The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup runs from February 7 to March 8, 2026, with India and Sri Lanka as co-hosts. India, 2024 champions, gear up under brand ambassador Rohit Sharma. Twenty teams chase glory through the group stage (Feb 7-20), Super Eights (Feb 21-Mar 1), semifinals (Mar 4-5), and final (Mar 8).
Participating Teams and Format
The tournament features three phases: two round-robin stages (Group and Super Eight) plus knockout semifinals and final. In the opening Group Stage, 20 teams are split into four groups of five. The top ICC Men’s T20I-ranked teams are seeded evenly across groups. Each plays the other four in single round-robin matches, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Eight.
Groups
- Group A: India, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan, United States
- Group B: Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
- Group C: England, Italy, Nepal, Scotland, West Indies
- Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates
| Date | Fixture | Group | City |
| February 7 | Pakistan vs. Netherlands | Group A | Colombo |
| West Indies vs. Scotland | Group C | Kolkata | |
| India vs. United States | Group A | Mumbai | |
| February 8 | New Zealand vs. Afghanistan | Group D | Chennai |
| England vs. Nepal | Group C | Mumbai | |
| Sri Lanka vs. Ireland | Group B | Colombo | |
| February 9 | Scotland vs. Italy | Group C | Kolkata |
| Zimbabwe vs. Oman | Group B | Colombo | |
| South Africa vs. Canada | Group D | Ahmedabad | |
| February 10 | Netherlands vs. Namibia | Group A | New Delhi |
| New Zealand vs. United Arab Emirates | Group D | Chennai | |
| Pakistan vs. United States | Group A | Colombo | |
| February 11 | South Africa vs. Afghanistan | Group D | Ahmedabad |
| Australia vs. Ireland | Group B | Colombo | |
| England vs. West Indies | Group C | Mumbai | |
| February 12 | Sri Lanka vs. Oman | Group B | Kandy |
| Nepal vs. Italy | Group C | Mumbai | |
| India vs. Namibia | Group A | New Delhi | |
| February 13 | Australia vs. Zimbabwe | Group B | Colombo |
| Canada vs. United Arab Emirates | Group D | New Delhi | |
| United States vs. Netherlands | Group A | Chennai | |
| February 14 | Ireland vs. Oman | Group B | Colombo |
| England vs. Scotland | Group C | Kolkata | |
| New Zealand vs. South Africa | Group D | Ahmedabad | |
| February 15 | West Indies vs. Nepal | Group C | Mumbai |
| United States vs. Namibia | Group A | Chennai | |
| India vs. Pakistan | Group A | Colombo | |
| February 16 | Afghanistan vs. United Arab Emirates | Group D | New Delhi |
| England vs. Italy | Group C | Kolkata | |
| Australia vs. Sri Lanka | Group B | Kandy | |
| February 17 | New Zealand vs. Canada | Group D | Chennai |
| Ireland vs. Zimbabwe | Group B | Kandy | |
| Scotland vs. Nepal | Group C | Mumbai | |
| February 18 | South Africa vs. United Arab Emirates | Group D | New Delhi |
| Pakistan vs. Namibia | Group A | Colombo | |
| India vs. Netherlands | Group A | Ahmedabad | |
| February 19 | West Indies vs. Italy | Group C | Kolkata |
| Sri Lanka vs. Zimbabwe | Group B | Colombo | |
| Afghanistan vs. Canada | Group D | Chennai | |
| February 20 | Australia vs. Oman | Group B | Kandy |
Super Eight and Knockout Stages
The top eight Group Stage teams form two Super Eight groups of four. ICC pre-seeded the top eight T20I-ranked teams:
- Group 1: India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa
- Group 2: England, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Non-seed qualifiers replace eliminated seeds. Each Super Eight team plays the other three in a round-robin (Feb 21-Mar 1, 12 matches). The top two per group advance.
Knockouts feature cross-group semifinals (Mar 4-5, 2 matches): Group 1 winner vs. Group 2 runner-up, and vice versa. Winners meet in the final (Mar 8).
Stage Dates
- Group Stage (40 matches): Feb 7-20
- Super Eight (12 matches): Feb 21-Mar 1
- Semifinals (2 matches): Mar 4-5
- Final (1 match): Mar 8
| Team | Players |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran |
| Australia | Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Cameron Green |
| Canada | Saad Bin Zafar, Nicholas Kirton, Dilon Heyliger |
| England | Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Adil Rashid |
| India | Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy |
| Ireland | Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Josh Little |
| Italy | Wayne Madsen, JJ Smuts, Harry Manenti, Benjamin Manenti |
| Namibia | Gerhard Erasmus, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton |
| Nepal | Dipendra Singh Airee, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane |
| Netherlands | Michael Levitt, Bas de Leede, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt |
| New Zealand | Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, Jacob Duffy |
| Oman | Jatinder Singh, Vinayak Shukla, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmed |
| Pakistan | Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman |
| Scotland | Richie Berrington, Brandon McMullen, Michael Leask, Bradley Currie |
| South Africa | Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Keshav Maharaj |
| Sri Lanka | Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga |
| U.A.E. | Aryansh Sharma, Muhammad Waseem, Junaid Siddique |
| U.S. | Monank Patel, Aaron Jones, Andries Gous, Saurabh Netravalkar |
| West Indies | Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmeyer, Jason Holder, Roston Chase |
| Zimbabwe | Sikandar Raza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Brian Bennett |
Where to Watch the 2026 T20 World Cup?
Catch every boundary and six across TV, streaming, and digital platforms. As co-hosts India and Sri Lanka drive massive viewership, expect global coverage.
India
- TV: Star Sports Network (live in Hindi, English, regional languages).
- Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar app/website (free for select matches; premium for full access).
- Highlights/Replays: Hotstar, YouTube (official ICC channel).
Sri Lanka
- TV: SLRC (Channel Eye), Dialog TV.
- Streaming: Papare app, Hotstar.
Global Broadcast
- UK/Ireland: Sky Sports, TNT Sports.
- USA/Canada: Willow TV, ESPN+.
- Australia: Fox Sports, Kayo Sports.
- Pakistan: PTV Sports, Daraz App (despite neutral venues).
- UAE/Middle East: Cricbuzz, OSN Sports.
- Rest of World: Check ICC website for local partners (e.g., SuperSport in Africa, FanCode in select regions).
Free Options
- ICC.tv (select markets, ad-supported).
- YouTube live streams (highlights, select games).
- Official ICC app for ball-by-ball updates, fantasy leagues.
Radio & Podcasts
- BBC Radio 5 Live, ABC Grandstand (ball-by-ball).
- Spotify/Apple Podcasts: ESPNcricinfo, Cricbuzz shows.
Venues
Eight iconic stadiums across India (five) and Sri Lanka (three) host the matches.
India Venues
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sri Lanka Venues
- R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo
- Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
A 2024-2027 India-Pakistan agreement requires neutral venues for multilateral tournaments hosted by either nation. Thus, Pakistan will play all 2026 T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka. If they reach knockouts, semifinals, and final shift to Colombo (not Kolkata or Ahmedabad). All Group B matches (Sri Lanka’s group) stay in Sri Lanka.
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