Pak-India Set for T20 World Cup 2026 Clash on Feb 15: Reports

News Desk 

Lahore: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly finalized the schedule for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with a much-anticipated Pakistan–India showdown scheduled for February 15.

According to Indian media, the 10th edition of the tournament will likely run from February 7 to March 8, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The ICC is expected to officially unveil the schedule on November 25.

Pakistan and India have reportedly been placed together in a group alongside the United States, Namibia, and the Netherlands. Their high-voltage encounter is set to take place in Colombo, where Pakistan is expected to play all of its group-stage matches.

The 20 participating teams have been divided into four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, which will subsequently split into two groups of four. The leading two sides from each Super Eight group will then qualify for the semi-finals.

India enter the 2026 competition as defending champions after defeating South Africa in the 2024 final in Barbados.

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All 20 teams for the mega event have already been confirmed, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) securing the final qualification spot last month. UAE joined Nepal and Oman to complete the qualifiers from the Asia-EAP pathway.

Along with hosts India and Sri Lanka, automatic qualifiers include the top seven teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup — Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and the West Indies.

Three teams qualified through T20I rankings: Pakistan, New Zealand, and Ireland.

Regional qualifiers rounded off the lineup:

Canada advanced as the Americas representative, Italy (making their T20 World Cup debut) and the Netherlands qualified from Europe, Namibia and Zimbabwe sealed their spots through the Africa qualifier.

The final is expected to be held either in Ahmedabad or Colombo, with the venue likely dependent on whether Pakistan reaches the title match, given the absence of bilateral cricket between the two rivals due to political tensions.