The ICC has finally pulled back the veil on the 2026 T20 World Cup schedule and it already looks like the road to the next title would be an intense one. The tournament starts from February 7 and interestingly, India won’t have to wait long to step in. Their title defence begins the same evening in Mumbai where they face the USA – a team that shocked Pakistan in the last edition.
Earlier that day Pakistan vs Netherlands in Colombo will officially kick-off the World Cup. In between these two games lies another significant clash, West Indies vs Bangladesh in Kolkata, thus February 7 is a hectic opening day.
India-Pakistan on February 15: The Big One
Every World Cup has one date that people mark on their calendars the moment it’s announced — this time, it’s February 15th. India and Pakistan will meet in Colombo, a venue which has been kept as a “neutral balance point” due to the shared hosting arrangement between India and Pakistan.
Both sides are expected to take the top two places in Group A, however with USA’s recent form and Netherlands consistency nothing is guaranteed.
GROUP A — India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7 | Pakistan vs Netherlands | Colombo | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 7 | India vs USA | Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 10 | Netherlands vs Namibia | Delhi | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 10 | Pakistan vs USA | Colombo | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 12 | India vs Namibia | Delhi | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 13 | USA vs Netherlands | Chennai | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 15 | USA vs Namibia | Chennai | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 15 | India vs Pakistan | Colombo | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 18 | Pakistan vs Namibia | Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 18 | India vs Netherlands | Ahmedabad | 7:00 PM |
GROUP B — Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8 | Sri Lanka vs Ireland | Colombo | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 9 | Zimbabwe vs Oman | Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 11 | Australia vs Ireland | Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 12 | Sri Lanka vs Oman | Kandy | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 13 | Australia vs Zimbabwe | Colombo | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 14 | Ireland vs Oman | Colombo | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 16 | Australia vs Sri Lanka | Kandy | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 17 | Ireland vs Zimbabwe | Kandy | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 19 | Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe | Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 20 | Australia vs Oman | Kandy | 7:00 PM |
GROUP C — England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7 | West Indies vs Bangladesh | Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 8 | England vs Nepal | Mumbai | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 9 | Bangladesh vs Italy | Kolkata | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 11 | England vs West Indies | Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 12 | Nepal vs Italy | Mumbai | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 14 | England vs Bangladesh | Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 15 | West Indies vs Nepal | Mumbai | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 16 | England vs Italy | Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 17 | Bangladesh vs Nepal | Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 19 | West Indies vs Italy | Kolkata | 11:00 AM |
GROUP D — South Africa, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Canada, UAE
| Date | Match | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 8 | New Zealand vs Afghanistan | Chennai | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 9 | South Africa vs Canada | Ahmedabad | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 10 | New Zealand vs UAE | Chennai | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 11 | South Africa vs Afghanistan | Ahmedabad | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 13 | Canada vs UAE | Delhi | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 14 | New Zealand vs South Africa | Ahmedabad | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 16 | Afghanistan vs UAE | Delhi | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 17 | New Zealand vs Canada | Chennai | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 18 | South Africa vs UAE | Delhi | 11:00 AM |
| Feb 19 | Afghanistan vs Canada | Chennai | 7:00 PM |
