T20 World Cup 2026: Venues, groups, schedule, and more
What's the story
The full schedule for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, starting February 7, is out! Jay Shah, the International Cricket Council, revealed the key venues across India and Sri Lanka that will host the 20-team tournament. Defending champions India will face Pakistan on February 15 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. They will begin their title defense against the USA.
Details
Tournament venues and format
Eight key venues across India (5) and Sri Lanka (3) will host the marquee event. The tournament will follow the same format as the previous edition in 2024, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, which will then be split into two groups of four.
Twitter Post
Here are the key venues
Venues for the ICC Men's #T20WorldCup 2026 have been locked in 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/PIYTvzRWly
— ICC (@ICC) November 25, 2025
Teams
Nepal, Italy set to join other sides
Along with hosts India and Sri Lanka, 18 other teams will take part in the T20 World Cup. These include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Oman, and UAE. Italy will make history after failing to qualify for the 2022 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.
Groups
A look at four groups
Below are the four groups for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Group A: India, Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands, and USA. Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman. Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Italy. Group D: South Africa, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Canada, and UAE.
Twitter Post
Official schedule of 2026 T20 World Cup
The schedule for ICC Men’s @T20WorldCup 2026 is here! 📅
— ICC (@ICC) November 25, 2025
The matches and groups were unveiled at a gala event in Mumbai led by ICC Chairman @JayShah, and with new tournament ambassador @ImRo45 and Indian team captains @surya_14kumar and Harmanpreet Kaur in attendance.
✍️:… pic.twitter.com/fsjESpJPlE
Pakistan matches
Pakistan to play matches in Sri Lanka
The final match will be played in Ahmedabad, unless Pakistan make it to the last four, in which case it will be held in Colombo. India and Pakistan have been playing at neutral venues due to the cross-border tensions. Therefore, two venues have also been assigned for the first semi-final (Kolkata and Colombo). The second semi-final will be held in Mumbai.
Champions
India to enter as defending champions
India will enter the tournament as the defending champions. They won the 2024 edition unbeaten after beating South Africa in a tense final in Barbados. India became the third side to win the T20 World Cup twice, joining England and West Indies. The Men in Blue won the inaugural edition (2007) under MS Dhoni. India won the 2024 T20 WC under Rohit Sharma's leadership.