🏆 Tournament Basics
Name: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Edition: 10th
Format: Twenty20 Cricket (T20I) — Group stage → Super Eights → Semi-finals → Final
Hosts: India and Sri Lanka (co-hosts)
Dates: 7 February – 8 March 2026
Total Teams: 20
Total Matches: 55
Venues
Matches are being played at eight major stadiums across India and Sri Lanka:
India (5 venues):
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Narendra Modi Stadium – Ahmedabad (Final venue)
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Wankhede Stadium – Mumbai
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Eden Gardens – Kolkata
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MA Chidambaram Stadium – Chennai
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Arun Jaitley Stadium – Delhi
Sri Lanka (3 venues):
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R. Premadasa Stadium – Colombo
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Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) – Colombo
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Pallekele International Stadium – Kandy
📌 Note: All of Pakistan’s matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka due to ongoing political sensitivities with India.
Tournament Structure
📌 Group Stage (7–20 Feb)
20 teams are split into 4 groups of 5:
Group A: India, Pakistan, Netherlands, Namibia, USA
Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, Nepal
Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE
Top 2 teams from each group advance to the Super Eights.
🏆 Super Eights (21–Feb to late Feb)
8 teams divided into 2 Super 8 groups → top 2 from each group advance to the semi-finals.
🔥 Knockouts
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Semi-finals: early March
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Final: 8 March 2026 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (or Colombo if Pakistan is involved).
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India enters as defending champions (won in 2024).
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India vs Pakistan clash is scheduled in Colombo on 15 Feb — one of the marquee matches of the tournament.
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Bangladesh has been officially replaced by Scotland in the tournament lineup due to travel/participation issues, and Scotland will now compete in Group C.
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This edition sees wide global representation, including teams from Europe (Netherlands, Italy), Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Oceania.
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Latest Controversy
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Bangladesh was removed from the competition after refusing to travel to India due to security/political concerns and request to shift games to Sri Lanka was rejected by ICC.
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Scotland has been brought in as a replacement at short notice, taking Bangladesh’s place in the group stage.
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