The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is less than a week away from its grand opening, and the cricketing fraternity is already high on excitement to get the tournament
underway. This year, a whopping twenty teams will be taking part in the global event, making it one of the biggest world cups yet. This year, Italy will be making their debut appearance at the marquee biennial event, whereas Bangladesh is the only full-member nation not taking part.
India and Sri Lankaqualified for the event, as they are the co-hosts, whereas top-ranked teams on the ICC T20I rankings made it through as well. A few teams had to play the regional qualifiers before making it to the top twenty. While every team will have an equal opportunity to lift the prestigious silverware in 2026, a selected bunch of teams will enter the tournament as the favourites.
Here are 3 favourites to win the T20 World Cup 2026
3. Australia
Among the favourites before any ICC event, Australia will certainly be a strong contender in the 2026 T20 World Cup as well. The Mitchell Marsh-led side will be keen on adding their second title to the kitty in the upcoming edition. Their squad has a perfect balance of experience and youth, making them a side that can defeat any team in the world.
Speaking of Australia’s record since the inaugural edition in 2007, the Aussies have played 47 matches, out of which a whopping 30 went in their favour. Additionally, they have among the strongest win percentages in the tournament’s history, which naturally makes them a fan favourite. It will be interesting to see how the team fares in the global event without the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Steven Smith.
2. South Africa
ICC titles have eluded South Africa on more occasions than not in the last decade or so. Since 2016, they have made it to the knockouts of almost all the ICC events they have participated in but managed to win only the WTC Final in 2025. However, the Aiden Markram-led side would want to leave the demons of the past behind and enter the World Cup with a high amount of confidence.
The Proteas seemed destined for their first World Cup title in 2024, but a dramatic turn of events meant that the trophy went to the Indian team. In 49 matches, the South Africans have 32 wins and 16 losses, while one match did not yield any result. That said, there is no doubt that the South Africans will be the team to beat in the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup.
1. India
Without an iota of doubt, India look like the best team on paper going ahead into the T20 World Cup 2026. They have the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma – among the top T20 batters at the moment. On the bowling front, they have a power-packed attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, along with Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
It is well-known that no team has been able to defend their T20 World Cup title, and none of the teams has even won the tournament at home. However, it seems that the stars have finally aligned for the Men in Blue to make a historic first in the upcoming edition, which gets underway on February 07.
