The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 runs from February 7 to March 8 across India and Sri Lanka, with 20 teams competing in 55 matches. India opens against the USA at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, while Pakistan faces the Netherlands in Colombo.
Five Indian cities host matches at Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai. Sri Lanka uses Colombo’s two grounds plus Pallekele Stadium in Kandy.
The final takes place March 8 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad unless Pakistan qualifies, which shifts it to Colombo. The tournament marks Italy’s debut at a World Cup while defending champions India seek a third title.
All Teams Participating In The 2026 ICC T20 World Cup
The ICC announced groups and fixtures on November 25 at an event in Mumbai. Squad announcements will begin in late December 2025 and continue through January 2026 ahead of the tournament.
| Country | Group | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| India | Group A | Qualified as a tournament host |
| USA | Group A | Secured a place because of the top 7 ranking at the T20 World Cup 2024 |
| Namibia | Group A | Earned a spot through the Africa regional pathway |
| Netherlands | Group A | Qualified via the Europe regional tournament |
| Pakistan | Group A | Entry based on ICC T20 team rankings |
| Australia | Group B | Finished inside the top 7 in the T20 World Cup 2024 standings |
| Sri Lanka | Group B | Host nation qualification |
| Zimbabwe | Group B | Qualified through the Africa region playoffs |
| Ireland | Group B | Entry secured through ICC Men’s T20 Team Rankings |
| Oman | Group B | Qualified through the Asia East Pacific qualification route |
| England | Group C | Secured a spot by a top 7 finish at the T20 World Cup 2024 |
| West Indies | Group C | Achieved direct passage with the top 7 results in the T20 World Cup 2024 |
| Bangladesh | Group C | Qualified through a top 7 finish at the T20 World Cup 2024 |
| Italy | Group C | Qualified through European regional qualifiers |
| Nepal | Group C | Earned place via the Asia East Pacific qualification event |
| South Africa | Group D | Entered directly with a top 7 finish at the T20 World Cup 2024 |
| New Zealand | Group D | Qualification based on ICC T20 rankings |
| Afghanistan | Group D | Secured position due to a top 7 finish at the T20 World Cup 2024 |
| Canada | Group D | Qualified through the Americas regional pathway |
| UAE | Group D | Earned place via the Asia East Pacific regional qualifier |
Former Australian Test opener Joe Burns captains Italy through his mother’s Italian heritage. Burns scored an unbeaten 108 off 55 balls against Romania in the sub-regional qualifiers.
Italy qualified after Jersey beat Scotland, securing one of two European spots despite losing to the Netherlands by nine wickets in the final. Burns recruited coaches with World Cup experience, like Kevin O’Brien and John Davison, to prepare the squad.
Wayne Madsen, with over 20,000 runs in county cricket, will join Italy for the World Cup after missing the qualifiers due to Derbyshire commitments. He will captain the side in the tournament.
India won the 2024 title by defeating South Africa by seven runs in Barbados, ending an 11-year trophy drought. Afghanistan reached their first semi-final in 2024, thrashing New Zealand by 84 runs.
The USA made history, reaching the Super Eight stage after victories against Canada and Pakistan. Nepal beat West Indies by 90 runs in September 2025. Bangladesh struggled before the 2024 World Cup, losing a series to the USA.
Pakistan reached the 2022 final but lost to England. England won titles in 2010 and 2022 under different captains. West Indies claimed back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2016.
Australia won their first title in 2021, defeating New Zealand by eight wickets. Sri Lanka lifted the trophy in 2014 after losing the finals in 2009 and 2012.
South Africa reached the 2024 final but has never won the tournament despite being among the strongest T20 sides. New Zealand also remains without a title despite reaching the 2021 final.
Possible Squads For The ICC T20 World Cup 2026
The official squad announcements are not out yet from any of the participating countries. The lists below are a prediction based on previous squads, plus announcements of retirement and inclusions.
India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed
United States: Monank Patel, Aaron Jones, Steven Taylor, Corey Anderson, Andries Gous, Nitish Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Harmeet Singh, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk
Netherlands: Scott Edwards, Bas de Leede, Logan van Beek, Paul van Meekeren, Max O’Dowd, Aryan Dutt, Vikram Singh, Teja Nidamanuru, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Tim Pringle, Michael Levitt, Viv Kingma
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus, David Wiese, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jan Frylinck, Michael van Lingen, Niko Davin, Tangeni Lungameni, Ben Shikongo, Bernard Scholtz
Australia: Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Inglis
Sri Lanka: Wanindu Hasaranga, Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza, Ryan Burl, Brian Bennett, Bradley Evans, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Clive Madande, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Tony Munyonga, Graeme Cremer
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Craig Young
Oman: Aqib Ilyas, Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mehran Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, Naseem Khushi, Pratik Athavale
England: Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Will Jacks, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Chris Jordan
West Indies: Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Jason Holder, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase
Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Litton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain
Italy: Joe Burns, Emilio Gay, Justin Mosca, Wayne Madsen, Marcus Campopiano, Harry Manenti, Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Anthony Mosca, Jaspreet Singh, Crishan Kalugamage, Zain Ali, Thomas Draca, Damith Kosala, Gian Meade, Syed Naqvi
Nepal: Rohit Paudel, Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Gulshan Jha, Pratis GC, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ottniel Baartman
New Zealand: Kane Williamson, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Jimmy Neesham
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Nangyal Kharoti
Canada: Saad Bin Zafar, Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Ravinderpal Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Rayyan Pathan, Kaleem Sana, Dilon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Pargat Singh, Junaid Siddiqui, Shreyas Movva, Rishiv Joshi
United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Jonathan Figy, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Irfan, Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Zahid Ali, Rahul Chopra
Since these are just predictions, expect the squad lists to change closer to the tournament.
Team With The Most ICC T20 World Cup Titles (2007-2024)
India, the West Indies, and England are the most successful teams with two titles each. The tournament began as a 12-team competition in 2007 and expanded to 16 teams from the 2014 edition. The 2026 tournament features 20 teams for the second consecutive time.
| Country | Titles Won | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| India | 2 | 2007/08, 2024 |
| England | 2 | 2010, 2022/23 |
| West Indies | 2 | 2012/13, 2015/16 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 2009 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 2013/14 |
| Australia | 1 | 2021/22 |
West Indies became the first team to win the tournament twice. Carlos Braithwaite hit four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes in the 2016 final to clinch victory with two balls remaining.
Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle were key performers in both West Indies triumphs. England’s victories came 12 years apart under different leadership styles. Craig Kieswetter’s explosive innings and Kevin Pietersen’s consistency powered England’s 2010 win.
Pakistan bounced back from the 2007 final loss by winning in 2009 at Lord’s. Sri Lanka broke their finals jinx in 2014 after Kumar Sangakkara’s calm innings earned him Man of the Match.
Australia struggled in the format for years before finally winning in 2021. India’s 17-year gap between titles remains the longest for any multiple winner.
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Conclusion: The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Features 20 Teams Across Four Groups In India & Sri Lanka!
Virat Kohli leads all run-scorers in T20 World Cup history with 1,292 runs in 35 matches since his debut in 2012. Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan holds the record for most wickets with 50 scalps in 43 matches between 2007 and 2024.
The tournament will showcase cricket before its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Italy becomes the 25th nation to qualify for the tournament in its 19-year history.
The format ensures competitive cricket with group stages followed by Super 8 before knockouts. Harry Brook captains England for the first time at a global event after taking over from Jos Buttler.
Rohit Sharma serves as ICC Brand Ambassador despite retiring from T20Is after winning the 2024 title. The tournament concludes March 8 with the final at either Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on Pakistan’s progression through the knockouts.
FAQs
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja announced their T20I retirements immediately after India won the 2024 final in Barbados. Kohli scored 76 runs in that match and was named Player of the Final.
No host nation has won the tournament on home soil as the primary host country. West Indies won in 2016 when India hosted, but have never won as hosts themselves. India won in 2007 and 2024, but both tournaments were held elsewhere.
Scotland lost to Jersey by one wicket off the final ball in the Europe Qualifier. Despite Jersey winning, Italy advanced on a superior net run rate after both teams finished with five points. Scotland had appeared in the last four T20 World Cups before this elimination.
New Zealand and South Africa have both reached T20 World Cup finals but never won the tournament. New Zealand lost the finals in 2021. South Africa reached their first final in 2024 but lost to India by seven runs in Barbados.
Group D contains South Africa, New Zealand, and Afghanistan together. South Africa finished as runners-up in 2024, while Afghanistan reached its first semi-final. New Zealand reached the 2021 final. These three teams must compete alongside Canada and the UAE, with only two advancing to Super 8.
