By Admin 
The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will begin on February 7, 2026. Six teams, including defending champions India, will be in action on the opening day.
The group stage goes on till February 20, following which the Super Eight stage will begin the next day. The top four teams from the Super Eights will qualify for the knockout stage, with the semi-finals to be held in Kolkata/Colombo and Mumbai, ahead of the title clash on March 8 in Ahmedabad/Colombo.
Format of the tournament
The tournament will follow the same format as the previous edition, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five. Teams in each group will play each other in a round-robin format. A total of 40 group-stage matches will be held from February 7 to 20, with the top two teams from each group progressing to the Super 8s stage starting on February 21.
In the Super 8s, the qualifying teams will be placed into two groups of four based on pre-tournament seedings, and will play another round-robin. If a non–pre–seeded team qualifies from a group, it will assume the Super 8s position that was originally allocated to the eliminated pre-seeded team. The top four teams from this stage will advance to the knockouts.
Group Stage
Besides India (ranked 1), Group A consists of Pakistan (7), the United States of America (33), Namibia (15), and the Netherlands (13). India will open the month-long tournament in Mumbai on February 7 against the USA, before facing Namibia on February 12. Bitter rivals India and Pakistan will meet on February 15 in Colombo. India’s final Group A match will be against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
The 2021 champions Australia (ranked 2) are placed in Group B along with Sri Lanka (8), Zimbabwe (12), Ireland (11) and Oman (20).
Group C consists of two-time champions England (ranking 3) and the West Indies (6), as well as first-timers Italy (28) and the Asian sides Bangladesh (9) and Nepal (17).
New Zealand (ranked 4), South Africa (5), Afghanistan (10), Canada (19) and the UAE (16) make up Group D.
Super 8s Stage
After the group stage, the top two sides from each group will progress to the Super 8s round, which begins on February 21, 2026. The eight teams will be split into two groups based on pre-tournament seedings.
If India (X1) advance to Super 8s stage it will play its matches in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata.
Semi-Finals and Final
The top four sides emerging from the Super 8s will progress to the knockout rounds. The first semi-final is scheduled for March 4 in Kolkata/Colombo, while the second will be held in Mumbai on March 5. The title clash is set for March 8 in Ahmedabad/Colombo.
The ICC has also shortlisted Colombo or Kolkata as the venues for the first semi-final in case Sri Lanka or Pakistan go on to qualify for the last four. Ahmedabad will host the final, but if Pakistan qualifies for it, Colombo will host the final.
Venues
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Cricket Ground in Colombo, and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy round out the full list of host venues.