The 10th edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is about to start. The marquee event of cricket's shortest format will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from Feb. 7 to Mar. 9. A total of 20 teams will take part, each chasing the top prize. India enter the tournament as the reigning champions after lifting the trophy in 2024 across the Caribbean and the United States.
They'll start as clear favorites on home soil, but with T20 cricket's anything-can-happen nature, the competition promises plenty of excitement and surprises. With anticipation building for a thrilling contest, here's a closer look at every aspect of this T20 World Cup.
Teams, Venues and Big Dates

The 2026 Men's T20 World Cup gets underway on Feb. 7, with the opening match starting at 11 AM (IST) 05:30 AM (BST) and 12:30 AM (EST) as Pakistan take on the Netherlands in Colombo.
Group-Stage Matches: It will be a packed first day, featuring two more games — West Indies versus Scotland at 3 PM (IST) 9:30 AM (BST) and 4:30 AM (EST), followed by India against the USA at 7 PM (IST), 1:30 PM (GMT) and 8:30 AM (EST).
The tournament begins with a 20-team group stage, split into four groups of five. This phase runs until 20 February, with three matches scheduled each day at the same time slots, except on the final day, when only one game will be played at 1:30 PM (GMT).
Super 8 and Semi Finals: Next come the Super 8s, which will see one or two matches per day, starting at 3 PM (IST), 9;30 AM (GMT) and 4:30 AM (EST). The second match will start at 7 PM (IST), 1:30 PM (BST) and 8:30 AM (EST), leading into the semi-finals on 4 and 5 March.
Final: The championship match is set for Sunday, 8 March, with a 7 PM (IST), 1:30 (GMT) and 8:30 AM (EST) start in Ahmedabad.

Groups
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
| India | Australia | England | New Zealand |
| Namibia | Sri Lanka | West Indies | South Africa |
| Netherlands | Ireland | Scotland | Afghanistan |
| Pakistan | Zimbabve | Nepal | Canada |
| USA | Oman | Italy | UAE |

ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Updated schedule
| Date | Match No. | Stage/Group | Venue | Teams | Time (IST) |
| Feb 7 | 1 | Group A | Colombo (SSC) | Pakistan vs Netherlands | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 7 | 2 | Group C | Kolkata (Eden Gardens) | West Indies vs Scotland | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 7 | 3 | Group A | Mumbai (Wankhede) | India vs USA | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 8 | 4 | Group D | Chennai | New Zealand vs Afghanistan | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 8 | 5 | Group C | Mumbai | England vs Nepal | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 8 | 6 | Group B | Colombo (RPS) | Sri Lanka vs Ireland | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 9 | 7 | Group C | Kolkata | Scotland vs Italy | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 9 | 8 | Group B | Colombo (SSC) | Zimbabwe vs Oman | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 9 | 9 | Group D | Ahmedabad | South Africa vs Canada | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 10 | 10 | Group A | Delhi | Netherlands vs Namibia | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 10 | 11 | Group D | Chennai | New Zealand vs UAE | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 10 | 12 | Group A | Colombo (SSC) | Pakistan vs USA | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 11 | 13 | Group D | Ahmedabad | South Africa vs Afghanistan | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 11 | 14 | Group B | Colombo (RPS) | Australia vs Ireland | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 11 | 15 | Group C | Mumbai | England vs West Indies | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 12 | 16 | Group B | Pallekele | Sri Lanka vs Oman | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 12 | 17 | Group C | Mumbai | Nepal vs Italy | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 12 | 18 | Group A | Delhi | India vs Namibia | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 13 | 19 | Group B | Colombo (RPS) | Australia vs Zimbabwe | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 13 | 20 | Group D | Delhi | Canada vs UAE | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 13 | 21 | Group A | Chennai | USA vs Netherlands | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 14 | 22 | Group B | Colombo (SSC) | Ireland vs Oman | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 14 | 23 | Group C | Kolkata | England vs Scotland | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 14 | 24 | Group D | Ahmedabad | New Zealand vs South Africa | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 15 | 25 | Group C | Mumbai | West Indies vs Nepal | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 15 | 26 | Group A | Chennai | USA vs Namibia | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 15 | 27 | Group A | Colombo (RPS) | India vs Pakistan | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 16 | 28 | Group D | Delhi | Afghanistan vs UAE | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 16 | 29 | Group C | Kolkata | England vs Italy | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 16 | 30 | Group B | Pallekele | Australia vs Sri Lanka | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 17 | 31 | Group D | Chennai | New Zealand vs Canada | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 17 | 32 | Group B | Pallekele | Ireland vs Zimbabwe | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 17 | 33 | Group C | Mumbai | Scotland vs Nepal | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 18 | 34 | Group D | Delhi | South Africa vs UAE | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 18 | 35 | Group A | Colombo (SSC) | Pakistan vs Namibia | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 18 | 36 | Group A | Ahmedabad | India vs Netherlands | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 19 | 37 | Group C | Kolkata | West Indies vs Italy | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 19 | 38 | Group B | Colombo (RPS) | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 19 | 39 | Group D | Chennai | Afghanistan vs Canada | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 20 | 40 | Group B | Pallekele | Australia vs Oman | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 21 | 41 | Super 8 (Group 2) | Colombo (RPS) | Y2 vs Y3 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 22 | 42 | Super 8 (Group 2) | Pallekele | Y1 vs Y4 | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 22 | 43 | Super 8 (Group 1) | Ahmedabad | X1 vs X4 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 23 | 44 | Super 8 (Group 1) | Mumbai | X2 vs X3 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 24 | 45 | Super 8 (Group 2) | Pallekele | Y1 vs Y3 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 25 | 46 | Super 8 (Group 2) | Colombo (RPS) | Y2 vs Y4 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 26 | 47 | Super 8 (Group 1) | Ahmedabad | X3 vs X4 | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 26 | 48 | Super 8 (Group 1) | Chennai | X1 vs X2 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 27 | 49 | Super 8 (Group 2) | Colombo (RPS) | Y1 vs Y2 | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 28 | 50 | Super 8 (Group 2) | Pallekele | Y3 vs Y4 | 7:00 PM |
| Mar 1 | 51 | Super 8 (Group 1) | Delhi | X2 vs X4 | 3:00 PM |
| Mar 1 | 52 | Super 8 (Group 1) | Kolkata | X1 vs X3 | 7:00 PM |
| Mar 4 | SF1 | Semi-final | TBC | TBC vs TBC | 7:00 PM |
| Mar 5 | SF2 | Semi-final | Mumbai | TBC vs TBC | 7:00 PM |
| Mar 8 | Final | Final | TBC | TBC vs TBC | 7:00 PM |

WHERE AND HOW TO WATCH
United States: The live streaming of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches will be available on Willow TV / Sling.
United Kingdom: Fans can watch and live stream the matches in the UK onSky / Now
India: Fans in India can watch all the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming of the matches will be available on JioHotstar app and website.