Bangladesh may face England, West Indies, Nepal, and debutant Italy in the 2026 T20 World Cup. This is the early picture of the possible groups, even though the ICC has not released the final schedule yet.
The tournament will return to India and Sri Lanka in February and March next year. The Women’s ODI World Cup in this region ended only weeks ago, but another major ICC event is already on the way.
Cricbuzz reported the likely groupings last night. The hosts India and Sri Lanka will be placed in separate groups. India may share their group with Pakistan, Netherlands, Namibia, and the United States. The USA stunned Pakistan in a Super Over in the 2024 T20 World Cup and reached the Super Eight.
Sri Lanka, as co-host, may get Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman. South Africa, the runners-up from the last edition, are also expected to have a tough group that could include New Zealand, Afghanistan, UAE, and Canada.
ICC is expected to publish the final schedule on 25 November in Mumbai.
India and Pakistan will continue the hybrid model in ICC events. They will not travel to each other’s countries. Pakistan will play their matches in Sri Lanka during the 2026 event. If Pakistan reach the final, the match on 8 March will take place in Sri Lanka. If they do not, the final will be played at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
The venue list is almost settled. Eight grounds will host matches, with five in India and three in Sri Lanka. India’s venues are Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai. Sri Lanka will host games in Colombo, Kandy, and one more venue.
The format remains unchanged from 2024. Twenty teams will take part. There will be four groups with five teams each. The top two from every group will enter the Super Eight. Two groups will form the Super Eight round, and the top two from each will reach the semifinals. The winners will then meet in the final.
India and Sri Lanka qualify automatically as hosts. Seven teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup also qualified directly: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the USA, and West Indies. New Zealand, Pakistan, and Ireland earned spots through rankings. Zimbabwe, Nepal, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Namibia, Oman, and UAE qualified through regional tournaments.
Probable groups
Bangladesh, England, West Indies, Nepal, Italy
South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, UAE, Canada
India, Pakistan, Netherlands, Namibia, USA
Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman
