ICC Announces Groups and Schedule for 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday unveiled the groups and full schedule for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, 2026. The announcement was made during an event in Mumbai, with the marquee India–Pakistan clash confirmed for February 15 at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.
The tournament, less than three months away, features 20 teams, divided into four groups of five for the initial phase.
Tournament Groups
Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia
Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy
Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE
Tournament Format
The format mirrors that of the 2024 edition held in the USA and the West Indies. The group stage runs from February 7 to 20, after which the top two teams from each group will move into the Super Eight phase, scheduled from February 21 to March 1. The semi-finals will be held on March 4 (Kolkata/Colombo) and March 5 (Mumbai), followed by the final on March 8, hosted either in Ahmedabad or Colombo.
If Pakistan qualifies for Semi-final 1 and the final, both matches will be staged in Colombo.
Matches will be played across venues in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai (India) and Colombo, Kandy (Sri Lanka), with games starting at 11:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 7:00 pm IST.
Key Fixtures and Team Schedules
India
The defending champions, India, open their campaign against USA on February 7 in Mumbai. They then face Namibia (Feb 12, Delhi), Pakistan (Feb 15, Colombo), and Netherlands (Feb 18, Ahmedabad).
Pakistan
Pakistan also begin their tournament on Day 1, playing Netherlands before facing USA (Feb 10), India (Feb 15) and Namibia (Feb 18). All their matches are scheduled in Colombo.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka start against Ireland on February 8, followed by clashes with Oman (Feb 12), Australia (Feb 16) and Zimbabwe (Feb 19).
Australia
Australia meet Ireland (Feb 11), Zimbabwe (Feb 13), Sri Lanka (Feb 16) and Oman (Feb 20).
England
England’s group-stage fixtures include Nepal (Feb 8), West Indies (Feb 11), Bangladesh (Feb 14) and Italy (Feb 16).
New Zealand & South Africa
South Africa take on Canada (Feb 9), Afghanistan (Feb 11), New Zealand (Feb 14) and UAE (Feb 18).
New Zealand face Afghanistan (Feb 8), UAE (Feb 10), South Africa (Feb 14) and Canada (Feb 17).
With three matches scheduled daily during the group stage, the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup promises a packed and highly competitive month of cricket as teams vie for the title currently held by India.