The ICC has confirmed that Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai will be the host cities for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India, which will also be co-hosted by Sri Lanka. The tournament will be shared between India and Sri Lanka, with games set to take place in Colombo and Kandy, along with another venue yet to be determined.
Scheduled to take place from February 7 to March 8, 2026, the tournament’s final is slated to be held at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. The ICC is expected to unveil the complete schedule, team allocations, and ticketing information next week.
Under the agreement between the BCCI and PCB, Pakistan is designated to play all their matches in Sri Lanka, including the final if they qualify. In the event that Sri Lanka progresses to the semi-finals, their match will also be hosted in Colombo. Additionally, the highly anticipated India-Pakistan group stage match is also set to be held in Colombo.
The 2026 edition will mirror the format of the 2024 tournament, featuring 20 teams split into four groups of five. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, leading to the semi-finals and ultimately the final.
In addition to India and Sri Lanka as hosts, automatic berths were secured by Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, and West Indies. New Zealand, Pakistan, and Ireland earned qualification based on T20I rankings. The remaining slots were filled by Canada (Americas), Italy and Netherlands (Europe), Namibia and Zimbabwe (Africa), and Nepal, Oman, and UAE (Asia-EAP).
Defending champions India, who emerged victorious against South Africa in the 2024 final in Barbados, will be aiming to defend their title. Each Indian venue is anticipated to host a minimum of six matches, with a more focused selection of cities compared to the 2023 World Cup.