With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 set to be played in just a few months time across India and Sri Lanka, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to finalise the venues. According
to latest reports, the marquee tournament which will see India defend the title, is set to be held from February 7 to March 8 across eight venues. While the BCCI is mulling to pick the best possible venues, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is set to host the tournament opener.
Reports citing Cricbuzz have informed that Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is slated to get the tournament opener apart from the final, if Pakistan doesn’t qualify or else, the summit clash will take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. But recent reports have revealed that the BCCI has zeroed down on Ahmedabad and Kolkata’s Eden Gardens as the venues for the semi-finals.
As for the semifinals, should Sri Lanka or Pakistan reach the last four stage, that particular match will be played in Colombo, according to a report in Crcbuzz. If neither reaches the last-four stage, both semifinals will be played in India.
T20 World Cup 2026 to be played across five Indian cities and three Sri Lankan venues: Reports
As per a report in the Indian Express, the five cities in India likely to welcome teams for the tournament are Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai while the venues in Sri Lanka will be Colombo, Pallekele, and Dambulla or Hambantota. The warm-up matches for the T20 World Cup 2026 could happen at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru but it isn’t a certainty due to lack of security clearance after the Indian Premier League (IPL) title celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) outside the venue turned into a brutal stampede.
According to October 17 dated release by the ICC, the 20-team tournament will be played in the same format as the 2024 edition with the teams placed in four different groups of five sides each. All 13 Test playing countries apart, Canada, the Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, Oman and Namibia have qualified for the month-long event. European minnows Italy will be the debutants for the global championship.
The group stage will be followed by a Super Eights phase that will include the top two finishers from each group. The Super Eights will feature two groups of four sides, with the top two finishers from each group then progressing to the knockout semifinals.
