It is customary for the hosts of the event, in this case India, to play the opening match of the tournament. But that’s not the case this time.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the schedule for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The event, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will commence on February 7 with Pakistan facing the Netherlands at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. On the very same day, India will play their tournament opener against the United States of America (USA) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The ICC had invited four World Cup winners, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Angelo Mathews, to reveal the schedule. ICC Chairman Jay Shah and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Mithun Manhas were also present. Later, Rohit was announced as the brand ambassador of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
In total, 55 matches will be played from February 7 to March 8.
| Date | Time (IST) | Team 1 | Team 2 | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | PAK | NED | SSC, Colombo |
| 07 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | WI | BAN | Kolkata |
| 07 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | IND | USA | Mumbai |
| 08 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | NZ | AFG | Chennai |
| 08 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | ENG | NEP | Mumbai |
| 08 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | SL | IRE | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 09 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | BAN | ITA | Kolkata |
| 09 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | ZIM | OMA | SSC, Colombo |
| 09 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | SA | CAN | Ahmedabad |
| 10 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | NED | NAM | Delhi |
| 10 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | NZ | UAE | Chennai |
| 10 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | PAK | USA | SSC, Colombo |
| 11 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | SA | AFG | Ahmedabad |
| 11 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | AUS | IRE | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 11 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | ENG | WI | Mumbai |
| 12 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | SL | OMA | Kandy |
| 12 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | NEP | ITA | Mumbai |
| 12 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | IND | NAM | Delhi |
| 13 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | AUS | ZIM | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 13 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | CAN | UAE | Delhi |
| 13 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | USA | NED | Chennai |
| 14 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | IRE | OMA | SSC, Colombo |
| 14 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | ENG | BAN | Kolkata |
| 14 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | NZ | SA | Ahmedabad |
| 15 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | WI | NEP | Mumbai |
| 15 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | USA | NAM | Chennai |
| 15 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | IND | PAK | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 16 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | AFG | UAE | Delhi |
| 16 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | ENG | ITA | Kolkata |
| 16 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | AUS | SL | Kandy |
| 17 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | NZ | CAN | Chennai |
| 17 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | IRE | ZIM | Kandy |
| 17 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | BAN | NEP | Mumbai |
| 18 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | SA | UAE | Delhi |
| 18 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | PAK | NAM | SSC, Colombo |
| 18 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | IND | NED | Ahmedabad |
| 19 Feb 2026 | 11:00 AM | WI | ITA | Kolkata |
| 19 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | SL | ZIM | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 19 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | AFG | CAN | Chennai |
| 20 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | AUS | OMA | Kandy |
| 21 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | Y2 | Y3 | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 22 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | Y1 | Y4 | Kandy |
| 22 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | X1 | X4 | Ahmedabad |
| 23 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | X2 | X3 | Mumbai |
| 24 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | Y1 | Y3 | Kandy |
| 25 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | Y2 | Y4 | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 26 Feb 2026 | 3:00 PM | X3 | X4 | Ahmedabad |
| 26 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | X1 | X2 | Chennai |
| 27 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | Y1 | Y2 | Premadasa, Colombo |
| 28 Feb 2026 | 7:00 PM | Y3 | Y4 | Kandy |
| 01 Mar 2026 | 3:00 PM | X2 | X4 | Delhi |
| 01 Mar 2026 | 7:00 PM | X1 | X3 | Kolkata |
| 04 Mar 2026 | 7:00 PM | SF1 | KO | Kolkata/ Premadasa, Colombo |
| 05 Mar 2026 | 7:00 PM | SF2 | KO | Mumbai |
| 08 Mar 2026 | 7:00 PM | FINAL | KO | Ahmedabad? Premadasa, Colombo |
T20 World Cup 2026: Groups
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| A | India, Pakistan, Netherlands, Namibia, USA |
| B | Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman |
| C | England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy |
| D | South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, UAE, Canada |
T20 World Cup 2026: Venues
India: Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), Arun Jaitley Stadium (Delhi), Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad), Eden Gardens (Kolkata) and MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai)
Sri Lanka: R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (Colombo), Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (Kandy) and Sinhalese Sports Club (Colombo)
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T20 World Cup 2026 schedule: ICC confirms IND vs PAK match on Feb 15, triple tournament opener on Feb 7
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