The 2026 T20 World Cup is full of drama and the tournament has not even started yet.

Bangladesh expelled from India after refusing to play in India over safety concernsScotland took their place. Pakistan boycotts conflict with Indiaseemingly in response to Bangladesh’s decision. Australia Lost the warm-up match – and Pat Cummins.

If the match itself makes headlines, it will become a must-seelive fully in sky sports From the opening match on Saturday 7th February to the finals on Sunday 8th March.

Here’s everything you need to know…

Where will the T20 World Cup be held?

The 10th edition of the tournament will be held at five venues in India and three venues in Sri Lanka, with all 55 matches broadcast live on Sky.

The tournament begins this Saturday with a tripleheader Pakistan take on the Netherlands (5.30am against England and Ireland), England’s Group C rivals West Indies and Scotland (9.30am) and co-hosts defending champions India take on the United States (1.30pm).

There are three games per day in the group stage, at 5.30am, 9.30am and 1.30pm, except for the last day of the stage on February 20, when the only game is Australia versus Oman at 1.30pm.

The final will be played in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8, unless Pakistan advances, in which case Pakistan and India will not play in each other’s home countries due to political tensions, so the exhibition match will be played in Colombo.

New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai join Ahmedabad as India’s hosts for the World Cup, with two venues in Kandy and Colombo – R Premadasa Stadium and Sinhala Sports Club – hosting matches in Sri Lanka.

Who is in which group and how does the game play out?

The 20 teams are divided into the following groups:

• Group A: India, Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands, United States
• Group B: Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
• Group C: Scotland, England, Italy, Nepal, West Indies
• Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, United Arab Emirates

Both sides met once each in the group stage, with the top two advancing to the Super 8 stage.

The Super 8 teams will then be divided into two groups of four, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals after another round robin.

Due to pre-seeding, England will enter Group 2 of the Super 8s if they gain Y1 seeding.

If all seeds advance from the first round, England will face Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan in the Super Eights, with India, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies in the other group.

Why is Bangladesh not participating?

The Indian Cricket Board has dropped Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL squad, amid heightened political tensions as Bangladesh demands the T20 World Cup match be moved from India to Sri Lanka citing security concerns

The call was rejected by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which said there was “no credible threat” that the Bangladesh team would be replaced if they did not travel to India.

The Tigers refused to change their stance and were subsequently replaced by scotlandthe second-highest ranked team in the T20 world but has yet to qualify for the World Cup.

Why doesn’t Pakistan play against India?

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi accused the ICC of “double standards” in favoring India in expelling Bangladesh and even suggested that Pakistan boycott the tournament entirely and take the decision after consultation with the government.

They ultimately chose to play, but with one caveat: refusing to play in the match against India scheduled for Sunday, February 15, in Colombo. It is unclear what will happen if the two teams meet in the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup.

In its response, the ICC said Pakistan’s decision to skip the match was “not in the interest of the global game, nor in the interests of fans around the world, including millions of Pakistani fans” and hoped a “mutually acceptable solution” could be found.

When and where will the England match be played?

England begin their bid for a third T20 World Cup title after 2010 and 2022 against At 9:30 a.m. on February 8, Nepal was in Mumbai, The next group matches will be against West Indies in Mumbai on February 11 (1.30pm), Scotland in Kolkata on February 14 (9.30am) and Italy in Kolkata on February 16 (9.30am).

Who is in the England team?

England rated fast bowlers josh tongue Following his impressive Ashes performance, he was picked up by Nottinghamshire outfit Rapid Brydon Carse in their 15-man squad.

Jofra Archer Jamie Smith (who struggled in the Tests against Australia) and last year’s men’s hundred player Jordan Cox are both notable absences after recovering from the side strain that limited him in the Ashes series.

England T20 World Cup squad: Harry Brooke (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tonge, Luke Wood.

How important is this game for England?

Essential. Not only are they hoping to become the first team to win three men’s T20 World Cups (they currently have two titles locked up with India and West Indies), but their jobs could be in jeopardy if things go wrong soon after the 4-1 Ashes defeat.

Cricket GM Rob Key’s job seems secure enough – Or at least that was the case until the latest revelations about Harry Brooke’s run-in with a New Zealand nightclub bouncer – but head coach Brendan McCallum may not be able to afford any turnovers.

On paper, England’s first T20 World Cup group isn’t one of the toughest, and if they make it to the Super 8s, they’ll also avoid 2024 finalists India and South Africa, as well as Australia. You feel like the semifinals are the bare minimum this time around.

Brooke, meanwhile, remains an important batsman but off-field headlines have raised questions about his captaincy – a role the Yorkshireman admits he remains lucky to have – and England may consider making a change if the World Cup doesn’t go well.

The team has at least entered the tournament at a high level after winning the ODI and T20 series in Sri Lanka.

Who are the favorites for the tournament?

India, no doubt. Depth in the squad, home advantage in every game and the memories of winning the T20 World Cup less than two years ago. They are the side to beat.

However, the shorter the match, the greater the chance of an upset, so there are a number of teams involved, including England, Pakistan, South Africa, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Nor can we underestimate Australia. Yes, they had just been swept 3-0 in Pakistan, yes they were without Cummins (back injury) and, somewhat surprisingly, the in-form Steve Smith was omitted from their squad, but we’ve been here before…

They entered many tournaments with poor results and serious question marks, but always performed well and often won.

Only the most enthusiastic of Italy supporters would think their country would make great progress, but the Azzurri, led by Derby County veteran Wayne Madsen, will enjoy their first global tournament, especially against England on Monday 16 February.

Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – Full Schedule

All times UK and Ireland; all games live on Sky Sports

group stage

Saturday, February 7

• Pakistan vs Netherlands (Colombo, 5.30am) – Group A
• West Indies vs Scotland (Kolkata, 9.30am) – Group C
• India vs USA (Mumbai, 1.30pm) – Group A

Sunday, February 8

• New Zealand vs Afghanistan (Chennai, 5.30am) – Group D
• England vs Nepal (Mumbai, 9.30am) – Group C
• Sri Lanka vs Ireland (Colombo, 1.30pm) – Group B

Monday, February 9

• Scotland vs Italy (Kolkata, 5.30am) – Group C
• Zimbabwe vs Oman (Colombo, 9.30am) – Group B
• South Africa vs Canada (Ahmedabad, 1.30pm) – Group D

Tuesday, February 10

• Netherlands vs Namibia (Delhi, 5.30am) – Group A
• New Zealand vs UAE (Chennai, 9.30am) – Group D
• Pakistan vs USA (Colombo, 1.30pm) – Group A

Wednesday, February 11

• South Africa vs Afghanistan (Ahmedabad, 5.30am) – Group D
• Australia vs Ireland (Colombo, 9.30am) – Group B
• England vs West Indies (Mumbai, 1.30pm) – Group C

Thursday, February 12

• Sri Lanka vs Oman (Kandy, 5.30am) – Group B
• Nepal vs Italy (Mumbai, 9.30am) – Group C
• India vs Namibia (Delhi, 1.30pm) – Group A

Friday, February 13

• Australia vs Zimbabwe (Colombo, 5.30am) – Group B
• Canada vs UAE (Delhi, 9.30am) – Group D
• USA vs Netherlands (Chennai, 1.30pm) – Group A

Saturday, February 14

• Ireland vs Oman (Colombo, 5.30am) – Group B
• England vs Scotland (Kolkata, 9.30am) – Group C
• New Zealand vs South Africa (Ahmedabad, 1.30pm) – Group D

Sunday, February 15

Monday, February 16

• Afghanistan vs UAE (Delhi, 5.30am) – Group D
• England vs Italy (Kolkata, 9.30am) – Group C
• Australia vs Sri Lanka (Kandy, 1.30pm) – Group B

Tuesday, February 17

• New Zealand vs Canada (Chennai, 5.30am) – Group D
• Ireland vs Zimbabwe (Kandy, 9.30am) – Group B
• Scotland vs Nepal (Mumbai, 1.30pm) – Group C

Wednesday, February 18

• South Africa vs UAE (Delhi, 5.30am) – Group D
• Pakistan vs Namibia (Colombo, 9.30am) – Group A
• India vs Netherlands (Ahmedabad, 1.30pm) – Group A

Thursday, February 19

• West Indies vs Italy (Kolkata, 5.30am) – Group C
• Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe (Colombo, 9.30am) – Group B
• Afghanistan vs Canada (Chennai, 1.30pm) – Group D

Friday, February 20

• Australia vs Oman (Kandy, 1.30pm) – Group B

super number 8

Saturday, February 21st

• Y2 vs Y3 (Colombo, 1.30pm)

Sunday, February 22

• Y1 vs Y4 (Kandy, 9.30am)
• X1 v X4 (Ahmedabad, 1.30pm)

Monday, February 23

• X2 vs X3 (Mumbai, 1.30pm)

Tuesday, February 24

Wednesday, February 25

• Y2 vs Y4 (Colombo, 1.30pm)

Thursday, February 26

• X3 vs X4 (Ahmedabad, 9.30 am)
• X1 vs X2 (Chennai, 1.30pm)

Friday, February 27

• Y1 vs Y2 (Colombo, 1.30pm)

Saturday, February 28

Sunday, March 1

• X2 v X4 (Delhi, 9.30am)
• X1 vs X3 (Kolkata, 1.30pm)

knockout round

Wednesday, March 4

• Semi-final 1 (Kolkata or Colombo, 1.30pm)

Thursday, March 5

• Semi-final 2 (Mumbai, 1.30pm)

Sunday, March 8

• Final (Ahmedabad or Colombo, 1.30pm)

Watch the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from 7 February to 8 March. Get Sky Sports or Contract-free streaming with NOW.