The business stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, Super 8, will commence on Saturday, February 21.
The group stage came to a conclusion on Friday night in Pallekele, where Australia thrashed Oman by nine wickets in the most dead rubber of dead rubber games you will have watched in a World Cup.
There was little pleasure the Australians seemed to take in hammering Oman, as Mitchell Marsh’s side had already suffered a shock exit from the competition following their defeats against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
The group stage matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 kept everyone hooked as the Associate Nations gave stiff competition to the higher-ranked sides.
Nepal fell one boundary away from beating England, while Max O’Dowd’s dropped catch off Faheem Ashraf potentially cost the Netherlands a victory over Pakistan. Tournament favorites India also faced a scare from the USA before Suryakumar Yadav pulled off a magnificent knock.
Zimbabwe finishing at the top of Group B through their triumphs over Australia and Sri Lanka was inarguably the story of the group stage. But now, tougher tasks await Sikandar Raza’s team as they will face teams like India and South Africa, the finalists of the previous edition, in the Super 8.
What are the groups in the Super 8?
Group 1 in the Super 8 round consists of India, South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. In Group 2, the four teams are Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, and New Zealand. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
It is imperative to point out that all matches of Group 1 will be played in India, and all matches of Group 2 will be played in Sri Lanka.
The groups had been pre-seeded; Sri Lanka and Pakistan were placed together, and therefore all of their matches will be hosted in Sri Lanka.
Let us try to predict which teams will qualify for the semi-finals from the Super 8 stage.
Group 1: India, South Africa
Barring the early collapse against the USA, India were emphatic throughout their four wins in the group stage. Despite Abhishek Sharma’s lack of runs – which, by the way, is still zero – India remain the strongest team in the tournament, and Suryakumar’s unit is expected to top their Super 8 group as well.
Failure to reach the semi-final will be catastrophic for Team India. In fact, the fans are expecting the Men In Blue to go all the way and clinch the trophy on March 8 to become the first team to win consecutive men’s T20 World Cup titles.
South Africa are the other favorite from Group 1. The Proteas produced power-packed performances to win four out of four in the group stage, including a seven-wicket win over New Zealand. They did escape in a thriller against Afghanistan. This South African unit has the ingredients to upset even the tournament favorites, India.
The West Indies are hoping to channel their spirit of the 2016 title-winning group. But perhaps overcoming the challenges of India and South Africa would be a leap too big for this unit.
Zimbabwe’s story in the group stage was phenomenal. They have the heart and courage, but they are likely to fall short on skill set, experience, and temperament against the likes of South Africa and India in the Super 8.
Group 2: Pakistan, New Zealand
Group 2 in the Super 8 is being touted by many as the group of death. Not because of the strength of the four teams, but because all four are flawed, and that makes it so difficult to predict the top two.
Given that the entirety of Group 2 encounters will be hosted in Sri Lanka, it makes Sri Lanka and Pakistan solid favorites to finish in the top two.
Pakistan have plenty of spin options and batsmen equipped to deal with the slow, spin-friendly nature of Sri Lankan surfaces. However, Sri Lanka are a depleted side since losing Wanindu Hasaranga and Matheesha Pathirana to injuries, as proven in their defeat against Zimbabwe.
It is hard to see how England could progress to the semi-finals given they had significant struggles in beating Nepal and Italy while they were blown away by West Indies. And, lest one forget, Jos Buttler managed only 53 runs across four group games.
New Zealand, on the other hand, registered three convincing wins in the group stage, ignoring the loss to the Proteas. The form of Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, and Daryl Mitchell is sensational, and they have an enviable coterie of pacers and spinners who would be effective on Sri Lankan pitches.
Which teams are predicted to reach the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2026?
We predict that the four teams that could reach the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026 are India, South Africa, Pakistan, and New Zealand.
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