India Grouped with Pakistan for 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup

News Desk

Mumbai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday revealed the groups and fixtures for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with the marquee India-Pakistan clash scheduled for February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The tournament runs from February 7 to March 8.

First-Round Groups:

Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman

Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy

Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

The tournament final will be held on March 8 in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan qualifies. The semi-finals are scheduled for March 4 in Kolkata (or Colombo if Pakistan qualifies) and March 5 in Mumbai. Other venues include Delhi and Chennai in India, and Kandy in Sri Lanka.

Matches involving Sri Lanka or Pakistan, as well as Group B fixtures, will take place in Sri Lanka. India and the Netherlands are the only teams with group matches at four different venues, including one in Colombo.

Match timings are set at 11:00 am (0530 GMT), 3:00 pm (0930 GMT), and 7:00 pm IST (1330 GMT).

Tournament Format:

The 20 teams are divided into four groups of five, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage (February 21–March 1). The Super Eight groups, based on first-round qualification, are:

Super Eight Group 1: X1 (India), X2 (Australia), X3 (West Indies), X4 (South Africa)

Super Eight Group 2: Y1 (England), Y2 (New Zealand), Y3 (Pakistan), Y4 (Sri Lanka)

Each team will play the others in its Super Eight group, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.

The ICC has made scheduling adjustments compared to the 2024 World Cup to reduce player fatigue.

Teams will have at least two days’ gap between matches at different venues, and no venue will host multiple matches in a very short span, except Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, which will host four matches across six days (February 7, 8, 11, and 12).