The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup returns in 2026, bringing together 20 of the world’s best cricket clubs for the sport’s biggest prize. This biennial World Cup for cricket in the Twenty20 international format is organized by the International Cricket Council and promises to deliver high-stakes action across India and Sri Lanka.
Here’s everything you need to know heading into the tournament.
All the action starts on February 7 (or February 6 depending on your location) and cricket fans can catch it on Willow TV, which is available with MySports™ Genre Pack™+ MySports Extra™ Minipack or through DIRECTV’s Sports Pack! Visit our TV Plans page for more information.
What is the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup?
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is a biennial World Cup for cricket in the Twenty20 international format, organized by the International Cricket Council. It matches up 20 of the best cricket teams from around the world, including reigning champion India, who won it in 2024.
2026 Men’s T20 Tournament Details
The men’s T20 World Cup kicks off on February 7 and runs through March 8 and will be played across India and Sri Lanka. With 20 teams competing for the sport’s biggest prize in its 10th year, the tournament will feature 55 matches across 8 venues —5 in India and 3 in Sri Lanka.
Defending Champions India Enter New Era
Defending champion India is entering the year tied for the most successful nation in World Cup history. They will look to separate themselves from the West Indies and England, who are also two-time champions.
For India, a new era begins as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired after India’s title in 2024, and Shubman Gill has been left off the squad.
England Returns Strong
England returns much of their 2022 title-winning team. Harry Brook was named Captain, and Josh Butler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid and Phil Salt are still with the team.
2026 Men’s T20 Tournament Schedule
The Men’s T20 World Cup features more than 50 matches across a month and a half for the most exciting cricket tournament. The action starts on February 7 (February 6 for Mountain, Central and Pacific time zone viewers). See the full T20 tournament schedule.
Preliminary Round
February 7, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 1 | 00:30 | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | Pakistan vs Netherlands |
| Match 2 | 04:30 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | West Indies vs Bangladesh |
| Match 3 | 08:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | India vs USA |
February 8, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 4 | 00:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | New Zealand vs Afghanistan |
| Match 5 | 04:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | England vs Nepal |
| Match 6 | 08:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Sri Lanka vs Ireland |
February 9, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 7 | 00:30 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Bangladesh vs Italy |
| Match 8 | 04:30 | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | Zimbabwe vs Oman |
| Match 9 | 08:30 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | South Africa vs Canada |
February 10, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 10 | 00:30 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | Netherlands vs Namibia |
| Match 11 | 04:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | New Zealand vs United Arab Emirates |
| Match 12 | 08:30 | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | Pakistan vs USA |
February 11, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 13 | 00:30 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | South Africa vs Afghanistan |
| Match 14 | 04:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Australia vs Ireland |
| Match 15 | 08:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | England vs West Indies |
February 12, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 16 | 00:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | Sri Lanka vs Oman |
| Match 17 | 04:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Nepal vs Italy |
| Match 18 | 08:30 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | India vs Namibia |
February 13, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 19 | 00:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Australia vs Zimbabwe |
| Match 20 | 04:30 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | Canada vs United Arab Emirates |
| Match 21 | 08:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | USA vs Netherlands |
February 14, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 22 | 00:30 | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | Ireland vs Oman |
| Match 23 | 04:30 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | England vs Bangladesh |
| Match 24 | 08:30 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | New Zealand vs South Africa |
February 15, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 25 | 00:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | West Indies vs Nepal |
| Match 26 | 04:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | USA vs Namibia |
| Match 27 | 08:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | India vs Pakistan |
February 16, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 28 | 00:30 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates |
| Match 29 | 04:30 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | England vs Italy |
| Match 30 | 08:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | Australia vs Sri Lanka |
February 17, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 31 | 00:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | New Zealand vs Canada |
| Match 32 | 04:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | Ireland vs Zimbabwe |
| Match 33 | 08:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Bangladesh vs Nepal |
February 18, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 34 | 00:30 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | South Africa vs United Arab Emirates |
| Match 35 | 04:30 | Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo | Pakistan vs Namibia |
| Match 36 | 08:30 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | India vs Netherlands |
February 19, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 37 | 00:30 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | West Indies vs Italy |
| Match 38 | 04:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe |
| Match 39 | 08:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | Afghanistan vs Canada |
February 20, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Match 40 | 08:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | Australia vs Oman |
Super 8 Round
February 21, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 1 | 08:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | TBC vs TBC |
February 22, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 2 | 04:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | TBC vs TBC |
| Super 8 – Match 3 | 08:30 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | TBC vs TBC |
February 23, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 4 | 08:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | TBC vs TBC |
February 24, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 5 | 08:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | TBC vs TBC |
February 25, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 6 | 08:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | TBC vs TBC |
February 26, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 7 | 04:30 | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | TBC vs TBC |
| Super 8 – Match 8 | 08:30 | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | TBC vs TBC |
February 27, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 9 | 08:30 | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | TBC vs TBC |
February 28, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 10 | 08:30 | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | TBC vs TBC |
March 1, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Super 8 – Match 11 | 04:30 | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | TBC vs TBC |
| Super 8 – Match 12 | 08:30 | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | TBC vs TBC |
Knockout Stage
March 4, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| 1st Semi-Final | 08:30 | To Be Confirmed | TBC vs TBC |
March 5, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| 2nd Semi-Final | 08:30 | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | TBC vs TBC |
March 8, 2026
| Match | Time | Venue | Teams |
| Final | 09:30 | To Be Confirmed | TBC vs TBC |
History of T20 Cricket
The first official matches of the current iteration were played in June 2003. After the Benson and Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the England and Wales Cricket Board was looking for a fast-paced entry point for young fans to get interested in cricket, and they proposed the Twenty20 matches.
Since then, the league has expanded, reaching 20 teams in 2024. All ICC full members qualify automatically for the tournament, and the remaining spaces are filled by other ICC members through a qualification round.
Tournament Format
The T20 World Cup is played in three stages:
Preliminary Stage: Played by four groups in a round-robin format.
Second Round (Super 8): Played by two groups in a round-robin format.
Teams are ranked by points, wins, net run rate, results of games between tied teams, proceedings in the preliminary stage and T20 rankings in the super stage.
Third Round (Knockout Stage): The final phase is played as a knockout stage of four teams to determine a champion.
In the case of a tie, a super over (overtime) would decide the winner, and they keep playing until a winner is determined.
The Trophy
The winner of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup wins a trophy — a 26-pound silver and rhodium trophy that stands two feet tall. A mighty prize for a mighty tournament.
The T20 World Cup 2026 Teams
Twenty teams will compete in the 2026 tournament: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, United States, West Indies, and Zimbabwe.
Notable Absences
This is the first T20 Cup without former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who has scored the most runs, has the highest average and put up the most 50-plus scores in T20 World Cup history.
Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh will also miss his first T20 Cup due to retirement. He holds the record for most wickets with 50 in World Cup history.
Watch Cricket on DIRECTV
Catch all of the action during the T20 World Cup on Willow with your DIRECTV subscription. Cricket fans can get Willow TV through MySports™ + MySports Extra Minipack or DIRECTV’s Sports Pack!
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is hosting the T20 World Cup in 2026?
India and Sri Lanka will be the host countries of this year's T20 World Cup. India will have venues matches and Sri Lanka will have three.
When does the T20 World Cup start?
The men's T20 World Cup starts on February 7, 2026 except Pacific, Mountain and Central time zones it starts on February 6.
Where can I watch the T20 World Cup?
The T20 World Cup is a global event, and for fans in the US, they can catch the action through Willow TV. DIRECTV customers can access Willow TV through the MySports Extra Minipack (MySports Genre Pack required) or with a Signature plan + Sports Pack.
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