Overview:
The tournament, which runs from Feb. 7-March 8, will be played on the same format as when the United States and the West Indies hosted the event in 2024.
MUMBAI, India (AP) โ Defending champion India will play against Pakistan in Colombo after South Asian archrivals were drawn in the same group of the T20 World Cup on Tuesday.
The ICC announced the groups and schedule of the mega event, with 20 nations split into four groups of five teams each. Italy will be making its first appearance in a major cricketing event and is placed in Group C with England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Group B comprises co-host Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman. New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates are placed in Group D.
India opens the month-long tournament in Mumbai on Feb. 07 when it takes on the United States before meeting Namibia on Feb. 12, Pakistan on Feb. 15 and plays against the Netherlands in its final Group A match at Ahmedabad on Feb. 18.
The R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, which hosts the Pakistan vs. India game, is one of the three venues in Sri Lanka, along with the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo and the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
Pakistan, which plays all its matches in Colombo, also opens its campaign on Feb. 07 against the Netherlands, followed by games against the United States on Feb. 10, India, and Namibia on Feb. 18.
The tournament, which runs from Feb. 7-March 8, will be played on the same format as when the United States and the West Indies hosted the event in 2024. The two top teams from the four groups will advance to the Super Eight stage, where they will be split into two groups of four.
The leading two teams from each Super Eight group advance to the semifinals. If India advances to the Super Eight stage, it will play its matches in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata. In case India plays the semifinals, it will be hosted in Mumbai. The ICC has also shortlisted Colombo or Kolkata as the venues for the second semifinal in case Sri Lanka or Pakistan go on to qualify for the last four.
Ahmedabad will host the final, but if Pakistan qualifies for it, Colombo will host the final.
India won the last edition, beating South Africa in the final at Barbados, and after the victory, captain Rohit Sharma retired from the T20 format.
Sharma was named as next yearโs tournament ambassador on Tuesday after leading India to victory in 2024. He is one of the few cricketers who have been part of two successful T20 World Cup campaigns, the first of which came in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007.
โI wish all the players the very best and hope they have a memorable time and enjoy Indiaโs hospitality while taking back a lot of memories,โ Sharma said.
T20 World Cup 2026 Groups
Group A: India, Pakistan, United States, Netherlands, Namibia
Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy
Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, United Arab Emirates
Venues
Delhi โ Arun Jaitley Stadium
Ahmedabad โ Narendra Modi Stadium
Mumbai โ Wankhede Stadium
Chennai โ MA Chidambaram Stadium
Kolkata โ Eden Gardens
Colombo โ R Premadasa Stadium
Colombo โ Sinhalese Sports Club
Kandy โ Pallekele International Stadium
Team India’s Matches
Feb. 07 โ India vs USA, Mumbai
Feb. 12 โ India vs Namibia, New Delhi
Feb. 15 โ India vs Pakistan, R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Feb. 18 โ India vs Netherlands, Ahmedabad
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Complete Schedule
Feb. 07 โ Saturday
11:00 AM โ Pakistan vs Netherlands โ SSC, Colombo
3:00 PM โ West Indies vs Bangladesh โ Kolkata
7:00 PM โ India vs USA โ Mumbai
Feb. 08 โ Sunday
11:00 AM โ New Zealand vs Afghanistan โ Chennai
3:00 PM โ England vs Nepal โ Mumbai
7:00 PM โ Sri Lanka vs Ireland โ Premadasa, Colombo
Feb. 09 โ Monday
11:00 AM โ Bangladesh vs Italy โ Kolkata
3:00 PM โ Zimbabwe vs Oman โ SSC, Colombo
7:00 PM โ South Africa vs Canada โ Ahmedabad
Feb. 10 โ Tuesday
11:00 AM โ Netherlands vs Namibia โ Delhi
3:00 PM โ New Zealand vs UAE โ Chennai
7:00 PM โ Pakistan vs USA โ SSC, Colombo
Feb. 11 โ Wednesday
11:00 AM โ South Africa vs Afghanistan โ Ahmedabad
3:00 PM โ Australia vs Ireland โ Premadasa, Colombo
7:00 PM โ England vs West Indies โ Mumbai
Feb. 12 โ Thursday
11:00 AM โ Sri Lanka vs Oman โ Kandy
3:00 PM โ Nepal vs Italy โ Mumbai
7:00 PM โ India vs Namibia โ Delhi
Feb. 13 โ Friday
11:00 AM โ Australia vs Zimbabwe โ Premadasa, Colombo
3:00 PM โ Canada vs UAE โ Delhi
7:00 PM โ USA vs Netherlands โ Chennai
Feb. 14 โ Saturday
11:00 AM โ Ireland vs Oman โ SSC, Colombo
3:00 PM โ England vs Bangladesh โ Kolkata
7:00 PM โ New Zealand vs South Africa โ Ahmedabad
Feb. 15 โ Sunday
11:00 AM โ West Indies vs Nepal โ Mumbai
3:00 PM โ USA vs Namibia โ Chennai
7:00 PM โ India vs Pakistan โ Premadasa, Colombo
Feb. 16 โ Monday
11:00 AM โ Afghanistan vs UAE โ Delhi
3:00 PM โ England vs Italy โ Kolkata
7:00 PM โ Australia vs Sri Lanka โ Kandy
Super 8 Stage
Feb. 26 โ Thursday
3:00 PM โ X3 vs X4 โ Ahmedabad
7:00 PM โ X1 vs X2 โ Chennai
Feb. 27 โ Friday
7:00 PM โ Y1 vs Y2 โ Premadasa, Colombo
Feb. 28 โ Saturday
7:00 PM โ Y3 vs Y4 โ Kandy
Mar. 01 โ Sunday
3:00 PM โ X2 vs X4 โ Delhi
7:00 PM โ X1 vs X3 โ Kolkata
Knockouts
Mar. 04 โ Wednesday
7:00 PM โ Semi Final 1 โ Kolkata / Premadasa, Colombo
Mar. 05 โ Thursday
7:00 PM โ Semi Final 2 โ Mumbai
Mar. 08 6 โ Sunday
7:00 PM โ FINAL โ Premadasa, Colombo / Ahmedabad