Introduction:
The ICC Men T20 World Cup 2026 will be another memorable event in the world of international cricket. As the world leading teams are gearing up to take on high pressure matches, the fans are impatiently looking forward to the beginning of the tournament. The T20 form of the crickets coupled with international competitions and full stadiums will ensure the people are entertained throughout.
As the official groups and schedule of matches are available now, the cricket fans have a definite roadmap of the tournament. This blog has got all the overview of the groups, the entire group stage schedule with the venues, the key teams to follow as well as a brief conclusion so as to tie it all up.
Tournament Overview:
The ICC Men T20 world cup 2026 will contain 20 international teams and it will be co-hosted between India and Sri Lanka. The tournament will also start with a group stage, then Super 8 round, semifinals, and the final.
Both the countries are providing international facilities, enthusiastic spectators, and climatic conditions conducive to thrilling T20 cricket. Each game will be crucial because one good performance, or a bad performance can influence qualification greatly.
Groups of World Cup 2026:
Group A
|
Group B
|
Group C
|
Group D
|
The two group leaders will proceed to the Super 8.
Formally Published Schedule News:
Tournament Start Date
ICC Men T20 World cup 2026 will start on 7 February 2026, and group-stage matches will be held in India and Sri Lanka.
Full Group Stage Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 07 Feb 2026 | Pakistan vs Netherlands | SSC, Colombo. |
| 07 Feb 2026 | West Indies vs. Scotland | Eden Gardens, Kolkata. |
| 07 Feb 2026 | India vs USA | Wankhede stadium, Mumbai. |
| 08 Feb 2026 | New Zealand vs Afghanistan | MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai. |
| 08 Feb 2026 | England vs Nepal | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. |
| 08 Feb 2026 | Sri Lanka Ireland | R. Premadasa stadium, Colombo. |
| 09 Feb 2026 | Scotland vs Italy | Eden Gardens, Kolkata. |
| 09 Feb 2026 | Zimbabwe vs Oman | SSC, Colombo. |
| 09 Feb 2026 | South Africa vs Canada | Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad. |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Netherlands vs Namibia | Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi. |
| 10 February 2026 | New Zealand vs UAE | MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai. |
| 10 Feb 2026 | Pakistan vs USA | SSS, Colombo. |
| 11 February 2026 | South Africa vs Afghanistan | Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad.. |
| 11 February 2026 | Australia v. Ireland | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. |
| 11 Feb 2026 | England vs West Indies | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. |
| 12 February 2026 | Sri Lanka vs Oman | Pallekele Stadium, Kandy. |
| 12 February 2026 | Nepal vs Italy | Wankhede stadium, Mumbai. |
| 12 February, 2026 | India vs Namibia | Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi. |
| 13 Feb 2026 | Australia vs Zimbabwe | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. |
| 13 Feb 2026 | UAE vs Canada | Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi. |
| 5th February 2026 | USA vs Netherlands | MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai. |
| 14 February 2026 | Ireland vs Oman | SSC, Colombo. |
| 14 Fe 2026 | England vs Scotland | Eden Gardens, Kolkata. |
| 14 Feb 2026 | South Africa vs New Zealand | Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad. |
| 15 Feb 2026 | West Indies vs Nepal | Wankhede stadium, Mumbai. |
| 15 Feb 2026 | USA vs Namibia | MA Chidambaram stadium, Chennai. |
| 15 February 2026 | India vs Pakistan | R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. |
| 16 Feb 2026 | Afghanistan vs UAE | Arun Jaitley stadium, Delhi. |
| 16 February 2026 | England vs Italy | Eden Gardens, Kolkata. |
Host Venues:
India
- Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Sri Lanka
- R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Colombo Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC).
- Kandy Pallekele International Stadium.
Points System in ICC T20 World Cup 2026
Win: If a team wins a match, it is awarded 2 points.
Loss: If a team loses a match, it receives 0 points.
No Result (N/R): If a match is abandoned due to rain or any other reason and no result is possible, both teams are awarded 1 point each.
Tie: If a match ends in a tie, a Super Over is usually played. The team that wins the Super Over receives 2 points, while the losing team gets 0 points.
Net Run Rate (NRR): If two or more teams have equal points, their positions in the points table are decided based on Net Run Rate (NRR). The team with the higher NRR will rank above the others.
Points Table:
Group A
| Team | P | W | L | N/R | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.450 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0.240 |
| Namibia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.240 |
| USA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.450 |
Group B
| Team | P | W | L | N/R | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.000 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.000 |
| Zimbabwe | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Oman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Group C
| Team | P | W | L | N/R | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Indies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.750 |
| Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.750 |
| England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +0.20 |
| Italy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Nepal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.20 |
Group D
| Team | P | W | L | N/R | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.162 |
| Canada | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +1.162 |
| South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| UAE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Important Teams to Watch:
The teams identified as the most significant to follow in the ICC Men T20 World Cup 2026 include the following teams based on their history, the presence of stars, and games with the significant impact:
- India: The home team that has a good T20 history, star attraction and huge fan following.
- Pakistan: The historic enemies of India who play aggressive and thrilling games.
- Australia: Stable performers who have a balanced team of old batters and bowlers.
- Sri Lanka: Co-hosts who are conversant with the local conditions and are able to give explosive performances.
- England: T20 specialists who are modern and aggressive in their batting and those who have experience in the world cup.
- South Africa: Power hitting, good bowling and good fielding.
- New Zealand: Solid group, tactical play, usually plays well in situations of crisis.
- West Indies: T20 Tongue-lashing style with big hitters and former champions that are capable of captivating the audience.
Other teams such as USA, Namibia, Nepal, Italy, UAE and Oman are the emerging teams and can occasionally create upsets, however, it will be the eight that are most likely to generate high profile matches that are exciting and attract the interest of the world.
Conclusion:
The ICC Men T20 World Cup 2026 is gearing up to be the superb occurrence, containing a dense agenda, powerful teams and global stadiums in India and Sri Lanka. The official released fixtures provide the fans with a clear picture of what is in store and the presence of top teams means that there will be cutthroat competition during the group stage.
As the tournament moves towards the knockout rounds, the expectations will also increase and the rivalry will be more intense. The fans of cricket would be advised to fill their calendars and prepare themselves with the action-packed T20 games when the world leading teams would fight over the world championship.