The defending champions will open their campaign against the USA on February 7 in Mumbai, followed by their clash against Namibia on February 12 in Delhi. The high-octane India-Pakistan clash will take place on February 15 in Colombo before the Suryakumar Yadav-led team completes its league stage against the Netherlands on February 18 in Ahmedabad.
As per the groups revealed by the ICC, India, Pakistan, Namibia, the USA and the Netherlands are in the same group. Bangladesh, Italy, England, Nepal and the West Indies are in the same group. Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe form the other group. The final group features Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UAE.
The tournament will take place at five venues in India - the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Three venues in Sri Lanka will host the global event, with the R Premadasa Stadium and the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo and the Palleke Stadium in Kandy hosting the tournament.
The World Cup will feature 20 teams competing for the coveted trophy, divided into four groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight, followed by the semifinals and the final.
As per the schedule, the World Cup will begin on February 7 with the final on March 8.
If India make it to the Super Eight from the group stage, their three Super Eight matches will be played in Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Kolkata. If India are into the semifinals, their semi-final will be in Mumbai. Meanwhile, the ICC has shortlisted Colombo or Kolkata as the other semi-final venue if Sri Lanka and Pakistan reach the last four. The final will be played in Ahmedabad if Pakistan are not there, or else it is likely to be played in Colombo.
T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
Group A
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| Feb 7 | Pakistan vs Netherlands | Colombo | 11 AM |
| Feb 7 | India vs USA | Mumbai | 7 PM |
| Feb 10 | Pakistan vs USA | Colombo | 7 PM |
| Feb 12 | India vs Namibia | Delhi | 7 PM |
| Feb 13 | USA vs Netherlands | Chennai | 7 PM |
| Feb 15 | USA vs Namibia | Chennai | 3 PM |
| Feb 15 | India vs Pakistan | Colombo | 7 PM |
| Feb 18 | Pakistan vs Namibia | Colombo | 3 PM |
| Feb 18 | India vs Netherlands | Ahmedabad | 7 PM |
List of teams to have qualified for T20 World Cup 2026
All 20 teams for the World Cup have been confirmed. Apart from the hosts India and Sri Lanka, the top seven teams - Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States of America and the West Indies - from the T20 World Cup 2024 confirmed their spots for the 2026 tournament.
Meanwhile, New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland booked their spots on the basis of T20I rankings. Italy and the Netherlands qualified from a tournament in Europe, while Canada booked their place from the Americas Qualifier. Namibia and Zimbabwe booked their spots from the Africa qualifier, while Nepal, Oman and UAE came from the Asia-EP round to make the tournament a 20-team one.
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