Aussies to launch 2026 T20 World Cup tilt in Sri Lanka

Australia's quest for a second men's T20 World Cup crown will begin in Sri Lanka with the ICC announcing the schedule for the 2026 tournament overnight.

Australia have been drawn alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Oman in Group B with all the pool's preliminary matches to be played in Sri Lanka.

2026 men's T20 World Cup groups

 

Group A: India, USA, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan

 

Group B: Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman

 

Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, Nepal

 

Group D: South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

 

See the full tournament schedule here

Matches in Sri Lanka will be split across the R.Premadasa Stadium and Sinhalese Sports Club, both in Colombo, as well as Pallekele International Stadium in Kandy.

The 20-team tournament in India and Sri Lanka will be played across a total of eight venues between February 7 and March 8, with Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad the five Indian cities selected to host matches.

Mitch Marsh's side will begin their campaign on February 11 against Ireland at the R.Premadasa Stadium, with their second match against Zimbabwe at the same venue two days later.

The 2021 champions will then move to Kandy for their final two group games against Sri Lanka (February 16) and Oman (February 20).

Australia's first match will begin in prime time (8:30pm AEDT) on the east coast, followed by an afternoon clash (4:30pm AEDT) with Zimbabwe. Their final two group matches will both start at 12:30am the following day Australian eastern time.

Australia's 2026 T20 World Cup Group B fixtures

 

February 11: v Ireland, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (8:30pm AEDT)

 

February 13: v Zimbabwe, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (4:30pm AEDT)

 

February 16: v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 17, 12:30am AEDT)

 

February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)

Second-ranked Australia have secured a favourable draw as the only nation ranked inside the top seven in their group. Both Group C (England, West Indies, Bangladesh) and Group D (South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan) have three teams ranked in the top 10.

It will be the first time Australia has faced Ireland and Sri Lanka in a T20 international since the 2022 World Cup in Australia, with Ireland withdrawing from hosting Marsh's team last year due to financial pressures.

Australia also haven't played Zimbabwe in a T20I since 2018, while they were grouped alongside Oman at the previous T20 World Cup in 2024, beating the Arab nation by 39 runs.

Unsurprisingly, India and Pakistan have again been drawn in the same group and will play each other on February 15. That match will take place in Colombo with Pakistan to play all their matches in Sri Lanka, including finals if they qualify.

An agreement was struck last year to allow for India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC events to be played at neutral venues due to political tensions between the neighbouring countries.

When Pakistan hosted the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, eventual champions India played their matches, including the final, in Dubai.

The tournament will follow the same format as the previous edition with top two teams from each of the four groups progressing to the Super Eight phase, which commences on February 21.

Australia will play their three Super Eight matches in Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi if they qualify.

The top four sides following the completion of the Super Eight matches progress to the knockout stage, with Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium to host final on March 8 and Kolkata and Mumbai the venues for the semi-finals on March 4 and 5 respectively.

Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium will replace Kolkata as the venue for the first semi-final and Ahmedabad for the final if Pakistan qualifies.

After winning the tournament for the first time in 2021, Australia failed to reach the semi-finals in the next two editions (in 2022 and 2024). They were knocked out in the Super Eight stage last year after losing consecutive games to Afghanistan and India.

"The T20 format continues to drive the sport's global expansion and will be showcased at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028," said ICC chair Jay Shah.

"With that in mind, the 2026 edition will capture the imagination of millions. One can already picture the electric atmosphere at the Narendra Modi Stadium when the champions lift the trophy on March 8."

Next year's tournament gets underway on February 7 with co-hosts India to kick off their title defence against the United States at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England and West Indies, both twice winners, will face first-timers Italy and south Asian sides Bangladesh and Nepal in Group C.

New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and United Arab Emirates make up a challenging Group D. The Kiwis failed to get out of their group at the previous T20 World Cup after losing to Afghanistan and co-hosts West Indies.

Three matches will be played per day during the first group stage, starting at either 11am, 3pm or 7pm local time.

All matches will be broadcast in Australia on Amazon's Prime Video.