T20 World Cup 2026 final to take place in Ahmedabad; India vs Pakistan clash set for this venue

The International cricket Council (ICC) is set to host the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka after the recently concluded 2025 Women’s World Cup. Notably, the upcoming T20 tournament will be played in Tier 1 stadiums after less popular stadiums were used for the Women’s World Cup in India.

The marquee tournament will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. 20 teams will compete for the title for the second consecutive edition. team India, who won the 2024 title with a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the final, will now look to defend their title on home soil.

T20 World Cup 2026 scheduled to be held from February 6 to March 7 in India and Sri Lanka

The competition will include 20 teams. The host nation, India and Sri Lanka, qualified directly for the tournament alongside the seven highest-placed teams in the previous edition (Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and the West Indies).

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Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan have earned their positions based on their T20I team rankings. The remaining countries advanced through the regional qualifiers. Canada topped the Americas track, while Italy and the Netherlands led Europe.

Namibia and Zimbabwe secured qualification via the Africa zone. The final places went to Oman, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates via the joint qualifying route for Asia and East Asia and the Pacific.

India prepares to face Pakistan in Colombo…

According to a report by RevSportz, defending champions India are set to begin their World Cup campaign against the United States. The tournament, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is tentatively scheduled from February 7 to March 8.

It is worth noting that the upcoming confrontation against Pakistan is expected to take place on February 15 in Colombo. The T20 World Cup clashes between India and Pakistan remain one of the biggest draws in world cricket due to the political backdrop and massive fan interest surrounding the rivalry.

“India will open their T20 World Cup campaign against USA, while their match against Pakistan is likely to be played on February 15 in Colombo,” the report read.

“As per the tentative schedule, the 2026 T20 World Cup, hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will be played from February 7 to March 8.”

Wankhede and Narendra Modi Stadium to host knockout matches of T20 World Cup 2026

Colombo will host the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup only if Sri Lanka or Pakistan qualify for the quarter-finals. The place will remain a back-up option should Pakistan qualify for the final.

India last hosted a major ICC men’s event in 2023, when the ODI World Cup was held in nine cities: Dharamsala, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

It has been reported that Mumbai may host one of the semi-final matches, while the final may be held in Ahmedabad on March 8. If Pakistan reaches the semi-finals, they will be assigned to Colombo.

Under the current ICC rights cycle, India and Pakistan have agreed to face each other only at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments. The full schedule for the 2026 T20 World Cup is expected to be released soon.

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