Overview:
The UAE qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 through the Asia regional qualifiers. They finished among the top teams in the final Asia qualifying tournament.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is set to start from February 7 onwards. India and Sri Lanka are the co-hosts of the tournament. Group D of the tournament features the likes of New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and the UAE.
February 8 sees the 1st match of Group D. New Zealand take on Afghanistan in a high-voltage clash.
This is the toughest group on paper. Afghanistan will be a side to watch out for, with New Zealand and South Africa needing to be wary of Rashid Khan’s men.
Two teams from this 5-side group will progress to the Super 8 stage. The Super 8 will also be divided into two groups, and the two sides from there will progress to the last 4.
The 2026 ICC T20 World Cup is the tournament’s 10th edition. The event had its inaugural campaign in 2007. India are the defending champions, having won the title last time in 2024.
Ahead of the tournament, here we present key details of Afghanistan, Canada and UAE from Group D.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan are set to feature in their 8th T20 World Cup campaign. They were the semi-finalists in the 2024 edition held in the USA and the West Indies. Before that, the Afghans reached the Super 12 each in 2022 and 2021. In 2016, they made it to the Super 10. In 2014, they exited from the 1st stage itself. In 2012 and 2010, they made group-stage exits.
Afghanistan qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 through direct qualification. They earned their spot by reaching the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they went on to make the semi-finals. As per ICC rules, teams finishing in the Super Eight of the previous edition automatically qualify for the next World Cup, so Afghanistan did not need to play any qualifiers.
Afghanistan have won 12 matches in addition to losing 18. 2 games were abandoned.
Afghanistan squad for T20 World Cup: Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran.
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai and Ziaur Rahman Sharifi.
Player to watch out for: Rashid Khan owns 185 scalps in T20Is and is also closing in on 700 in T20s. He is a maestro on the subcontinent pitches and will be a lethal force.
Schedule of Afghanistan at T20 World Cup 2026
New Zealand vs Afghanistan – February 8, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
South Africa vs Afghanistan – February 11, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates – February 16, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Afghanistan vs Canada – February 19, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Afghanistan’s 1st three matches will start at 11:00 am IST. Their final group game will start at 7:00 pm IST.
Canada
The Canada national cricket team made their T20 World Cup debut in 2024. They exited the group stage. Canada won one match and lost two. One of their games was abandoned.
Canada qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 by winning the Americas regional qualification tournament. They finished top of the Americas Qualifier, going unbeaten against other regional teams, which earned them a direct spot in the World Cup without needing any further playoffs.
Canada squad for T20 World Cup: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.
Player to watch out for: Navneet Dhaliwal owns the most runs for Canada in T20Is. From 45 matches, he has scored 1197 runs at 32.35. He has hit nine fifties.
Schedule of Canada at the T20 World Cup
South Africa vs Canada – February 9, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Canada vs United Arab Emirates – February 13, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
New Zealand vs Canada – February 17, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Afghanistan vs Canada – February 19, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Their first match will start at 7:00 pm IST. The 2nd clash will start at 3:00 pm IST. The next two games are at 11:00 am IST and 7:00 pm IST.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates will feature in their 3rd ICC T20 World Cup. They made their debut in 2014 and suffered a 1st-stage exit. In 2022, they were ousted in the 1st round.
From six T20 World Cup games, the UAE have won 1 match and lost 5.
The UAE qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 through the Asia regional qualifiers. They finished among the top teams in the final Asia qualifying tournament, securing one of the available World Cup spots and earning direct entry without needing any further playoffs.
UAE squad for T20 World Cup: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
Player to watch out for: Muhammad Waseem has earned 93 caps for the UAE in T20Is. He has 3236 runs at 36.77. Waseem owns 3 centuries and 25 fifties. He owns an impressive strike rate of 150-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Schedule of UAE at T20 World Cup
New Zealand vs UAE – February 10, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Canada vs UAE – February 13, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Afghanistan vs UAE – February 16, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
South Africa vs UAE – February 18, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
UAE’s 1st two matches are at 3:00 pm IST. Their 2nd and 3rd games will be held at 11:00 am IST.