With the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup 2026 kicking off on February 7, cricket fans will turn their attention to India and Sri Lanka.
The 10th edition of the tournament will feature 54 games and will end on March 8.
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Here’s what you need to know about the 2026 T20 World Cup format and schedule:
What teams are there in the T20 World Cup and what groups do they belong to?
In 2024, the scale of the competition will be expanded to 20 teams, and the number of participants this year will remain unchanged.
However, the squad list was changed after the ICC expelled Bangladesh from the tournament following a weeks-long impasse over their participation in the tournament. Scotland replaced Bangladesh, who were eliminated from the tournament after refusing to travel to India for the World Cup due to security concerns.
The 20 teams are divided into four groups of five teams each. These are:
Group A:
- India
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- Pakistan
- USA
Group B:
- Australia
- Ireland
- Oman
- Sri Lanka
- Zimbabwe
Group C:
- England
- Italy
- Nepal
- west indies
- Scotland
Group D:
- Afghanistan
- Canada
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- United Arab Emirates (UAE)
What is the format of the 2026 T20 World Cup?
The competition will be divided into two rounds of group matches and a knockout round, including the semi-finals and finals.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will qualify for the Super 8 stage, where they will be divided into two groups of four teams each.
The two best performing Super 8 teams will advance to the semi-finals.
Here are the details of the tournament schedule:
- Group stage: February 7-20
- Super 8: February 21st – March 1st
- Semifinals: March 4-5
- Final: March 8
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Five stadiums in India and three in Sri Lanka will host the matches.
Venues for all but one of the semi-finals and finals have been confirmed by the International Cricket Council.
If India advances to the semi-finals, they will play the second match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
If Pakistan progress to the semi-finals, they will play at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on March 4.
Below is a list of venues:
India:
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sri Lanka:
- R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Palleke International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
- Sinhala Sports Club (SSC), Colombo
Full match schedule
group stage
Saturday, February 7
Netherlands vs Pakistan 11am (05:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
3pm (09:30 GMT) Scotland vs West Indies – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
India vs USA 7pm (13:30GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sunday, February 8
Afghanistan vs New Zealand 11am (05:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
3pm (09:30 GMT) England vs Nepal – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sri Lanka vs Ireland 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Monday, February 9
Scotland vs Italy 11am (05:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Oman vs Zimbabwe 3pm (09:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
Canada vs South Africa 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Tuesday, February 10
Namibia vs Netherlands 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
New Zealand vs UAE 3pm (09:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Pakistan vs USA 7pm (13:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
Wednesday, February 11
Afghanistan vs South Africa 11am (05:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Australia vs Ireland 3pm (09:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
England v West Indies, 7pm (13:30GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Thursday, February 12
Sri Lanka vs Oman 11am (05:30 GMT) – Palak International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Italy vs Nepal 3pm (09:30GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
India vs Namibia 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Friday, February 13
Australia v Zimbabwe, 11am (05:30GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Canada vs UAE 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
7pm (13:30 GMT) Netherlands vs USA – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Saturday, February 14
Ireland vs Oman 11am (05:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
3pm (09:30 GMT) Scotland vs England – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
New Zealand vs South Africa 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Sunday, February 15
Nepal vs West Indies 11am (05:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Namibia vs USA 3pm (09:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
India vs Pakistan 7pm (13:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Monday, February 16
Afghanistan vs UAE 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
3pm (09:30 GMT) England vs Italy – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Australia vs Sri Lanka 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Tuesday, February 17
Canada vs New Zealand 11am (05:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Ireland vs Zimbabwe 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Kandy Pallek International Cricket Stadium
Scotland vs Nepal 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Wednesday, February 18
South Africa vs UAE 11am (05:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Namibia vs Pakistan 3pm (09:30 GMT) – SSC, Colombo
India vs Netherlands 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Thursday, February 19
Italy vs West Indies 11am (05:30GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe 3pm (09:30 GMT) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Afghanistan vs Canada 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Friday, February 20
Australia v Oman, 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Palak International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Super 8
Saturday, February 21st
7pm (13:30 GMT) TBC vs TBD – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sunday, February 22
TBD vs TBD 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
TBD vs TBD 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Monday, February 23
7pm (13:30 GMT) TBD vs TBD – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Tuesday, February 24
TBD vs TBD match will be played at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Wednesday, February 25
7pm (13:30 GMT) TBC vs TBD – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thursday, February 26
TBD vs TBD 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
TBD vs TBD 7pm (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Friday, February 27
7pm (13:30 GMT) TBC vs TBD – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Saturday, February 28
TBD vs TBD match will be played at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
Sunday, March 1
TBD vs TBD 3pm (09:30 GMT) – Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
TBD vs TBD 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
knockout round
Wednesday, March 4
7pm (13:30 GMT) First semi-final – Eden Gardens, Kolkata or R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Thursday, March 5
Second semi-final at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Sunday, March 8
Final at 7pm (13:30 GMT) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad or R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo






