![Gossip Lanka News [English]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYm2aFFq-bIW1nWX-RrqnPFoIsVos6_VCVz8BpLt0QJi55GNXHXC2fugeRvL0qUStEuCfs7Sfu6ZiSlhrkldxfGuE_wzy5gitY6rMZ2KSi8VBbGvkgXLks37RwZV-4-HKbWiNLRxB8C_r1e4z3mpxFTMPDJPEADoG8E-bZteWFipeD5KNGbjvCfqEfKw=s300 "Gossip Lanka News [English]")
All arrangements have been finalized for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, to be held from February 7 to March 8, 2026. This massive sporting event, which has captured the attention of cricket fans worldwide, will feature 20 participating teams, with the entire tournament comprising 55 matches.
A total of eight venues have been selected to host the tournament: five stadiums in India and three in Sri Lanka. It is expected that each Indian venue will host at least six matches.The format for this tournament will be similar to the previous edition, with the 20 participating teams divided into four groups of five teams each.
In the preliminary round, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 8 stage, after which the path to the final will be determined through knockout rounds. As host nations, India and Sri Lanka have automatically qualified, along with the top eight performing teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup. Additionally, a notable aspect of this World Cup is the inclusion of emerging teams like Italy, selected through ICC rankings and regional tournaments.
For matches in India, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will be utilized. In Sri Lanka, the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground (SSC) in Colombo, and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy have been allocated for matches. This tournament, featuring a blend of traditional cricket powerhouses and emerging teams, will provide a broad global platform for T20 cricket.
As a special highlight of the tournament, in accordance with an agreement reached between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) until 2027, all matches involving Pakistan will be held in Sri Lanka under the neutral venue rule. Accordingly, Pakistan's matches will be centered in Colombo or Kandy. Furthermore, both India and Pakistan, two strong teams, are scheduled to compete in Group 'A' in this tournament.
The match schedule is below
| Date | Team 1 | VS | Team 2 | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, 7 February | 🇵🇰 PAKISTAN | V | 🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS | SSC, Colombo |
| Saturday, 7 February | 🏴 WEST INDIES | V | 🇧🇩 BANGLADESH | Kolkata |
| Saturday, 7 February | 🇮🇳 INDIA | V | 🇺🇸 USA | Mumbai |
| Sunday, 8 February | 🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND | V | 🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN | Chennai |
| Sunday, 8 February | 🏴 ENGLAND | V | 🇳🇵 NEPAL | Chennai |
| Sunday, 8 February | 🇱🇰 SRI LANKA | V | 🇮🇪 IRELAND | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Monday, 9 February | 🇧🇩 BANGLADESH | V | 🇮🇹 ITALY | Kolkata |
| Monday, 9 February | 🇿🇼 ZIMBABWE | V | 🇴🇲 OMAN | SSC, Colombo |
| Monday, 9 February | 🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA | V | 🇨🇦 CANADA | Ahmedabad |
| Tuesday, 10 February | 🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS | V | 🇳🇦 NAMIBIA | Delhi |
| Tuesday, 10 February | 🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND | V | 🇦🇪 UAE | Chennai |
| Tuesday, 10 February | 🇵🇰 PAKISTAN | V | 🇺🇸 USA | SSC, Colombo |
| Wednesday, 11 February | 🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA | V | 🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN | Ahmedabad |
| Wednesday, 11 February | 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA | V | 🇮🇪 IRELAND | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Wednesday, 11 February | 🏴 ENGLAND | V | 🏴 WEST INDIES | Mumbai |
| Thursday, 12 February | 🇱🇰 SRI LANKA | V | 🇴🇲 OMAN | Kandy |
| Thursday, 12 February | 🇳🇵 NEPAL | V | 🇮🇹 ITALY | Mumbai |
| Thursday, 12 February | 🇮🇳 INDIA | V | 🇳🇦 NAMIBIA | Delhi |
| Friday, 13 February | 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA | V | 🇿🇼 ZIMBABWE | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Friday, 13 February | 🇨🇦 CANADA | V | 🇦🇪 UAE | Delhi |
| Friday, 13 February | 🇺🇸 USA | V | 🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS | Chennai |
| Saturday, 14 February | 🇮🇪 IRELAND | V | 🇴🇲 OMAN | SSC, Colombo |
| Saturday, 14 February | 🏴 ENGLAND | V | 🇧🇩 BANGLADESH | Kolkata |
| Saturday, 14 February | 🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND | V | 🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA | Ahmedabad |
| Sunday, 15 February | 🏴 WEST INDIES | V | 🇳🇵 NEPAL | Mumbai |
| Sunday, 15 February | 🇺🇸 USA | V | 🇳🇦 NAMIBIA | Chennai |
| Sunday, 15 February | 🇮🇳 INDIA | V | 🇵🇰 PAKISTAN | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Monday, 16 February | 🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN | V | 🇦🇪 UAE | Delhi |
| Monday, 16 February | 🏴 ENGLAND | V | 🇮🇹 ITALY | Kolkata |
| Monday, 16 February | 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA | V | 🇱🇰 SRI LANKA | Kandy |
| Tuesday, 17 February | 🇳🇿 NEW ZEALAND | V | 🇨🇦 CANADA | Chennai |
| Tuesday, 17 February | 🇮🇪 IRELAND | V | 🇿🇼 ZIMBABWE | Kandy |
| Tuesday, 17 February | 🇧🇩 BANGLADESH | V | 🇳🇵 NEPAL | Mumbai |
| Wednesday, 18 February | 🇿🇦 SOUTH AFRICA | V | 🇦🇪 UAE | Delhi |
| Wednesday, 18 February | 🇵🇰 PAKISTAN | V | 🇳🇦 NAMIBIA | SSC, Colombo |
| Wednesday, 18 February | 🇮🇳 INDIA | V | 🇳🇱 NETHERLANDS | Ahmedabad |
| Thursday, 19 February | 🏴 WEST INDIES | V | 🇮🇹 ITALY | Kolkata |
| Thursday, 19 February | 🇱🇰 SRI LANKA | V | 🇿🇼 ZIMBABWE | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Thursday, 19 February | 🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN | V | 🇨🇦 CANADA | Chennai |
| Friday, 20 February | 🇦🇺 AUSTRALIA | V | 🇴🇲 OMAN | Kandy |
| Saturday, 21 February | Y2 | V | Y3 | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Sunday, 22 February | Y1 | V | Y4 | Kandy |
| Sunday, 22 February | X1 | V | X4 | Ahmedabad |
| Monday, 23 February | X2 | V | X3 | Mumbai |
| Tuesday, 24 February | Y1 | V | Y3 | Kandy |
| Wednesday, 25 February | Y2 | V | Y4 | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Thursday, 26 February | X3 | V | X4 | Ahmedabad |
| Thursday, 26 February | X1 | V | X2 | Chennai |
| Friday, 27 February | Y1 | V | Y2 | Premadasa, Colombo |
| Saturday, 28 February | Y3 | V | Y4 | Kandy |
| Sunday, 1 March | X2 | V | X4 | Delhi |
| Sunday, 1 March | X1 | V | X3 | Kolkata |
| Wednesday, 4 March | SEMI FINAL 1 | Kolkata/Colombo | ||
| Thursday, 5 March | SEMI FINAL 2 | Mumbai | ||
| Sunday, 8 March | FINAL | Ahmedabad/Colombo | ||
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Cricket