2026 T20 World Cup to be held February 7 to March 8

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC):

The 2026 T20 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will reportedly be held between February 7 and March 8 next year.

While the International Cricket Council (ICC) has not made any official announcements, reports are that it has identified the window and informed the participating countries.

The matches will be played in at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka, while the final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan is playing.

India and Pakistan are not playing in each other's countries due to strained political relations between the two governments at present.

Currently, 15 teams have been confirmed for the 2026 men's T20 World Cup: India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands and Italy, who have qualified for a World Cup for the first time.

Of the remaining five teams, two will come from the Africa regional qualifier and three from the Asia and East Asia Pacific qualifier.

The format will be the same as the 2024 men's T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, where the 20 teams were divided into four groups of five each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the Super Eight round, where once again the eight teams were divided into two groups of four.

The top two from each Super Eight group will advance to the semi-finals.