With less than three months to go for the Men’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the ICC has finally announced the schedule for next year’s premier men’s competition that will be played in India and Sri Lanka.
With that, the ICC also confirmed the date and venue for the marquee fixture of the tournament: India vs Pakistan. This clash will continue the trend of India vs Pakistan matches in each of the men’s ICC tournaments since 2013.
Following India’s 10-wicket loss against Pakistan in Dubai in the 2021 T20 World Cup, India have beaten Pakistan in their last three clashes at ICC events—T20 World Cup 2022 and 2024, and World Cup 2023.
Further, in the Asia Cup 2025, which was hosted this year in September in the UAE, all three India and Pakistan encounters resulted in victories for India, including in a thrilling last-over final.
Hosts India will enter the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as the defending champions, having triumphed over South Africa in the final in Barbados two years ago. From that team, though, three superstars have retired from T20Is: captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja.
Under new skipper Suryakumar Yadav, the Men In Blue have, so far, won all the T20I series since mid-2024.
When and where will the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 be played?
The men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will start on February 7, and the final is scheduled for March 8. The tournament will be hosted in India and Sri Lanka across eight grounds.
The cities that will host the T20 World Cup 2026 are Chennai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Colombo (two grounds) and Kandy. Bengaluru will not host any games.
What is the format of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026?
The T20 World Cup 2026 follows the same format as that of the 2024 event. 20 teams are divided into four groups of five each. The top two teams will progress to the Super 8 round, where two groups will be formed of four teams each. The top two teams from each group of the Super 8 will advance to the semi-finals.
When and where is India vs Pakistan match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026?
Colombo will host the India vs Pakistan group match in the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 15. This high-voltage Indo-Pak clash will take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Which teams are part of India’s group in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026?
For the first group round of the T20 World Cup 2026, Team India is grouped along with Pakistan, USA, Namibia, and Netherlands.
What is India’s schedule for T20 World Cup 2026?
India will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against USA in Mumbai, which is also the opening day of the tournament, before meeting Namibia on February 12 in Delhi. Then, Suryakumar Yadav’s team will take on Pakistan in Colombo on February 15 and conclude their group stage on February 18 in Ahmedabad, where they will face Netherlands.
India schedule for T20 World Cup 2026: Date, venue of India’s group matches
- February 7: India vs USA, Mumbai
- February 12: India vs Namibia, Delhi
- February 15: India vs Pakistan, Colombo
- February 18: India vs Netherlands, Ahmedabad
Further, according to ESPNcricinfo, if India qualify for the Super 8 stage, their three matches will be held in Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Kolkata.
If India reach the semi-final stage, they will play their semi-final in Mumbai. The second semi-final will be hosted in either Kolkata or Sri Lanka, depending on whether Pakistan and Sri Lanka qualify.
The final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be played in Ahmedabad, or in Colombo if Pakistan reach the final.
Next year, India will aim to become the first team to successfully defend their men’s T20 World Cup title; no men’s team has won back-to-back T20 World Cups.
Also, ICC Chairman Jay Shah announced former India captain Rohit Sharma as the brand ambassador of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Groups For T20 World Cup 2026:
- Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia
- Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
- Group C: West Indies, England, Bangladesh, Italy, Nepal
- Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE
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