| Dates | February – March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 International |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Host(s) |  Sri Lanka India |
| Participants | 20 |
| Matches | 55 |
| Official website | t20worldcup |
The 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be the tenth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, a biennial Twenty20 International (T20I) tournament played by men's national teams and organized by International Cricket Council (ICC). It is scheduled to be hosted by Sri Lanka and India from February to March 2026.[1][2]
The tournament will be contested by 20 teams like the previous edition. The two host nations and the top eight teams from the previous edition will automatically qualify for the tournament, along with the next two teams in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings. The remaining eight teams will be decided via a regional qualification process.
Format[edit]
The 20 qualifying teams will be divided into four groups of five; the top two teams in each group will advance to the Super 8 round. In this stage, the qualifying teams will be split into two groups of four; the top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage, which will consist of two semi-finals and a final.
Host selection[edit]
In November 2021, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Sri Lanka and India will co-host the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. This will be the 2nd time for Sri Lanka that they will host a T20 World Cup,[3] and the 3rd time for India that they will host a T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka first hosted the T20 World Cup in 2012 and India hosted in 2016 & 2021.[4] Sri Lanka proposed to host this tournament alone. But due to lack of stadiums in Sri Lanka, International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to co-host with India.
Teams[edit]
Qualification[edit]
Sri Lanka and India will directly qualify for the tournament as co-hosts. They will be joined by the top eight teams from the previous edition who get qualified automatically, and since India finished in the top eight in the previous edition, the best three teams (other than the ones already qualified) from the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings will also qualify for the tournament.[5] The remaining eight teams will be decided by regional qualifiers, consisting of two teams from Africa, Asia, and Europe[6][7][8] along with one team each from Americas and East Asia-Pacific regions.[9][10]
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Venues | Number of teams | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosts | 16 November 2021 | 2 | India
| |
| Sri Lanka
| ||||
| 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup (Top 7 teams from the previous edition other than the 2026 hosts) |
17 June 2024 |  United States West Indies
|
7 |  Afghanistan
|
 Australia
| ||||
 Bangladesh
| ||||
 England
| ||||
 South Africa
| ||||
| United States
| ||||
| West Indies
| ||||
| ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings | 30 June 2024 | 3[a] |  Ireland
| |
 New Zealand
| ||||
 Pakistan
| ||||
| Europe Qualifier | 2 |  TBD
| ||
| TBD
| ||||
| East Asia-Pacific Qualifier | 1 | TBD
| ||
| Americas Qualifier | 1 | TBD
| ||
| Asia Qualifier | 2 | TBD
| ||
| TBD
| ||||
| Africa Qualifier | 2 | TBD
| ||
| TBD
| ||||
| Total | 20 |
Notes[edit]
- ^ Since India finished in the top eight of the 2024 edition, three slots were allotted for qualification via rankings.
References[edit]
- ^ "T20 World Cup to return to Asia in 2026". TIMES NOW. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "USA to stage T20 World Cup: 2024-2031 ICC Men's tournament hosts confirmed". www.icc-cricket.com. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ "India to host 2026 T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka, 2031 ODI World Cup with Bangladesh". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/bcci-confident-of-hosting-2021-t20-world-cup-in-india-1239107
- ^ "Stop clock set to become a permanent fixture in white-ball internationals from T20 World Cup 2024". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Italy will host ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-regional qualifier A". czarsportzauto.com. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Germany to host ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-regional qualifier B". czarsportzauto.com. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "Guernsey to host ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-regional qualifier C". bbc.com. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
- ^ "South Korea to host ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub-regional Qualifier A". czarsportzauto.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Samoa to host ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub-regional Qualifier B". czarsportzauto.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
