The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed eight venues across India and Sri Lanka for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will take place from 7 February to 8 March. The tournament will be held in India’s Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai, and in Sri Lanka’s Kandy and Colombo.
The final is scheduled for 8 March in Ahmedabad, India, unless Pakistan reaches the final, in which case the championship match will be moved to Sri Lanka due to an existing agreement preventing Pakistan from playing in India. Consequently, Pakistan will play all of its matches in Sri Lanka.
The tournament will follow the format used in the 2024 T20 World Cup, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five. Each team will play every other team in its group, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage. In the Super Eight, the eight teams will be split into two groups, and the top two from each will reach the semifinals.
India and Sri Lanka qualify automatically as hosts. Other confirmed teams include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States and West Indies. Based on rankings, New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland will also compete, while eight more teams, including Italy, the Netherlands, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Canada, Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, have qualified through the preliminary rounds. Italy will make its debut in the T20 World Cup.
The ICC is expected to release the full match schedule and ticketing information next week. Most participating countries are yet to know the exact group placements or match dates.
