The dates for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 have been revealed, and the summit clash of the competition is set to be hosted either by Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad or R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo.
A fresh report by ESPNCricinfo has revealed key details regarding the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, including tournament dates, format, and number of participants.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to be played from February 7 to March 8
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Reportedly, the upcoming 20-over World Cup is highly likely to be played between February 7 and March 8.
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Just like the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, which is also co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the T20 World Cup 2026 matches will be played across at least five venues across two nations.
Notably, the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 matches will be played across the ACA Stadium (Guwahati), Holkar Stadium (Indore), ACA-VDCA Stadium (Visakhapatnam), R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo), and DY Patil Stadium (Navi Mumbai).
Ahmedabad or Colombo to host T20 World Cup 2026 final
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad or the R. Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo will be hosting the final of the T20 World Cup 2026, depending on the qualification of the Pakistan National Cricket Team for the summit clash.
This is because of the formal agreement that India and Pakistan entered ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which states that the two teams won’t travel to each other’s countries for the ICC or ACC events.
All matches involving India and Pakistan in ICC or ACC events hosted by the two countries, including knockout games, will be played at a neutral venue till 2027.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is actively engaged in finalising the full schedule and fixtures for the marquee tournament, but they have already informed the participating teams about the February-March window.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 format explained
The format for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be the same as the last T20 World Cup, which was held in 2024 in the Caribbean and the USA.
Notably, Rohit Sharma-led India National Cricket Team dominated in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup and won the trophy by beating South Africa National Cricket Team in a thrilling final.
Coming back to the format, 20 teams will participate in the competition, including automatic qualifiers and those from regional qualification tournaments.
Four groups of five teams each will be made, and the top two from each group will qualify for the Super Eight round. In the Super Eight round, two groups of four teams each will be made, and the top two from each will make it to the semifinals.
India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Italy have already qualified for the event, and the remaining five teams will come from Africa and Asia-Pacific qualifiers. Out of those, two will be from the Africa regional qualifier and three from the Asia and East Asia-Pacific region.
