# 2026 Men's T20 World Cup

The 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup will be the tenth edition of the Men's T20 World Cup. It is scheduled to be hosted by the defending champions India along with Sri Lanka from February to March 2026.

## Background

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup is a biennial world cup for cricket in Twenty20 International (T20I) format, organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament, now being held every two years, was first played in 2007 in South Africa. India are the defending champions, having defeated South Africa in the final of the previous edition

### Host selection

In November 2021, as part of the 2024–2031 ICC men's hosts cycle, India and Sri Lanka were announced as co-hosts for the tournament. Sri Lanka first hosted the T20 World Cup in 2012 and India hosted in 2016. In December 2024, following an agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the ICC confirmed that matches involving India and Pakistan matches at all ICC events hosted by India or Pakistan would be played at a neutral venue until at least 2027. As a result, any matches involving Pakistan at the 2026 tournament will be played in Sri Lanka.

### Format

The tournament's format will remain the same as the previous edition. The 20 qualifying teams were divided into four groups of five teams; the five teams in each group played with the other four – for a total of ten matches per group – and the top two teams in each group advanced to the Super 8 stage. The advanced 8 teams were divided into two groups of four teams based on pre-tournament seedings; the advanced teams in each group played with all the others in that group – for a total of six matches per group – and the top two teams in each advanced group advanced to the knockout stage.

## Qualification

India and Sri Lanka qualified directly as co-hosts. They will be joined by the top eight teams from the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup and the best three other teams from the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings. The remaining eight teams will be decided by regional qualifiers, with two teams from Africa and Europe, three teams from the combined Asia and East Asia-Pacific region, and one team from the Americas region.
List of teams qualified for the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup :
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Venues | No. of teams | Teams |
| Hosts | 16 November 2021 | — | 2 | India |
| Hosts | 16 November 2021 | — | 2 | Sri Lanka |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | Afghanistan |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | Australia |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | Bangladesh |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | England |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | South Africa |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | United States |
| 2024 Men's T20 World Cup (Top teams from previous tournament) | 17 June 2024 | United States West Indies | 7 | West Indies |
| ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings | 30 June 2024 | — | 3 | Ireland |
| ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings | 30 June 2024 | — | 3 | New Zealand |
| ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings | 30 June 2024 | — | 3 | Pakistan |
| Europe Qualifier | 5–11 July 2025 | Netherlands | 2 | TBD |
| Europe Qualifier | 5–11 July 2025 | Netherlands | 2 | TBD |
| Africa Qualifier | 19 September – 4 October 2025 | Zimbabwe | 2 | TBD |
| Africa Qualifier | 19 September – 4 October 2025 | Zimbabwe | 2 | TBD |
| Asia–EAP Qualifier | 1 –17 October 2025 | Oman | 3 | TBD |
| Asia–EAP Qualifier | 1 –17 October 2025 | Oman | 3 | TBD |
| Asia–EAP Qualifier | 1 –17 October 2025 | Oman | 3 | TBD |
| Americas Qualifier | TBD – 2025 | Canada | 1 | TBD |
| Total | | | 20 | |