2026 Men’s T20 World Cup May Start on 7 February

CricDiary: The 2026 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup is expected to take place from 7 February to 8 March. The tournament will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. It’ll feature 20 teams.

Matches are likely to be staged across at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka. The final is set to be held either in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan qualifies, as India and Pakistan continue to avoid playing in each other’s countries because of political tensions.

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Although the ICC is still finalizing the official schedule, media reports suggest that cricket’s governing body has already identified the tournament window and has informed participating nations.

Currently India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States of America, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, and Italy have qualified for the T20 World Cup. Italy has qualified for the first time. The five remaining spots will be decided through qualifiers, two from Africa and three from Asia and East Asia Pacific.

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The 2026 T20 World Cup tournament format will be similar to the 2024 edition. Teams will be split into four groups of five each with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage, followed by the semi-finals and final. The 2024 World Cup featured 55 games. India were crowned champions. They defeated South Africa in the final at Barbados.