The International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced the schedule of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with a high-octane encounter between arch-rivals Pakistan and India slated for February 15.
The announcement was made during the unveiling ceremony as the 10th edition of the men’s T20 World Cup will be played between February 7 and March 8, with India and Sri Lanka confirmed as co-hosts for the tournament featuring 20 teams.
Pakistan and India are placed in Group A alongside the United States, Namibia, and the Netherlands. The arch-rivals will face each other on February 15 in Colombo, while Pakistan will play all its matches in Sri Lanka.
The inaugural match will be played between India and the US on February 7, while Pakistan are scheduled to face the Netherlands in Colombo on the same day.
The final is likely to be held in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan qualify, given that India and Pakistan are currently not playing bilateral cricket due to political tensions.
The tournament will feature four groups, each containing five teams. The top two sides from every group will progress to the Super Eight round, which will be further divided into two pools of four teams each.
Sri Lanka, unlike co-hosts India, find themselves in a comparatively tougher pool, Group B, which includes three full-member teams — Australia, Zimbabwe, and Ireland — along with Oman.
Group C will feature England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, and Nepal, while Group D consists of South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Canada.
From there, the leading two teams in both Super Eight groups will earn a place in the semi-finals.
India will enter the tournament as the reigning champions after overcoming South Africa in the final held in Barbados in 2024.