- India face USA in opening match, Pakistan meet Netherlands same day
- Event has four groups of five teams; top two in each pool move to Super Eight.
- Final will be in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on Pakistan’s progression.
The International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced the schedule of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with a high-octane encounter between arch-rivals Pakistan and India slated for February 15.
The announcement was made during the unveiling ceremony as the 10th edition of the men’s T20 World Cup will be played between February 7 and March 8, with India and Sri Lanka confirmed as co-hosts for the tournament featuring 20 teams.
Pakistan and India are placed in Group A alongside the United States, Namibia, and the Netherlands. The arch-rivals will face each other on February 15 in Colombo, while Pakistan will play all its matches in Sri Lanka.
The inaugural match will be played between India and the US on February 7, while Pakistan are scheduled to face the Netherlands in Colombo on the same day.
The final is likely to be held in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan qualify, given that India and Pakistan are currently not playing bilateral cricket due to political tensions.
The tournament will feature four groups, each containing five teams. The top two sides from every group will progress to the Super Eight round, which will be further divided into two pools of four teams each.
Sri Lanka, unlike co-hosts India, find themselves in a comparatively tougher pool, Group B, which includes three full-member teams — Australia, Zimbabwe, and Ireland — along with Oman.
Group C will feature England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, and Nepal, while Group D consists of South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Canada.
From there, the leading two teams in both Super Eight groups will earn a place in the semi-finals.
India will enter the tournament as the reigning champions after overcoming South Africa in the final held in Barbados in 2024.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 schedule (Group Stage):
February 7
Pakistan vs Netherlands in Colombo
India vs USA in Mumbai
West Indies vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
February 8
Sri Lanka vs Ireland in Colombo
England vs Nepal in Mumbai
New Zealand vs Afghanistan in Chennai
February 9
Zimbabwe vs Oman in Colombo
South Africa vs Canada in Ahmedabad
Bangladesh vs Italy in Kolkata
February 10
Pakistan vs USA in Colombo
New Zealand vs UAE in Chennai
Netherlands vs Namibia in Delhi
February 11
Australia vs Ireland in Colombo
England vs West Indies in Mumbai
South Africa vs Afghanistan in Ahmedabad
February 12
India vs Namibia in Delhi
Sri Lanka vs Oman in Kandy
Nepal vs Italy in Mumbai
February 13
USA vs Netherlands in Chennai
Australia vs Zimbabwe in Colombo
Canada vs UAE in Delhi
February 14
Ireland vs Oman in Colombo
England vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
New Zealand vs South Africa in Ahmedabad
February 15
USA vs Namibia in Chennai
India vs Pakistan in Colombo
West Indies vs Nepal in Mumbai
February 16
Australia vs Sri Lanka in Kandy
England vs Italy in Kolkata
Afghanistan vs UAE in Delhi
February 17
Bangladesh vs Nepal in Mumbai
New Zealand vs Canada in Chennai
Ireland vs Zimbabwe in Kandy
February 18
Pakistan vs Namibia in Colombo
India vs Netherlands in Ahmedabad
South Africa vs UAE in Delhi
February 19
Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe in Colombo
West Indies vs Italy in Kolkata
Afghanistan vs Canada in Chennai
February 20
Australia vs Oman in Kandy
Super-Eight Round Schedule:
February 21
Y2 vs Y3 in Colombo
February 22
Y1 vs Y4 in Kandy
X1 vs X4 in Ahmedabad
February 23
X2 vs X3 in Mumbai
February 24
Y1 vs Y3 in Kandy
February 25
Y2 vs Y4 in Colombo
February 26
X3 vs X4 in Colombo
X1 vs X2 in Chennai
February 27
Y1 vs Y2 in Colombo
February 28
Y3 vs Y4 in Kandy
March 1
X2 vs X4 in Delhi
X1 vs X3 in Kolkata
Knock-out Fixtures:
March 4:
Semi-final 1 in Colombo/Kolkata
March 5:
Semi-final 2 in Mumbai
March 8:
Final in Colombo/Ahmedabad
