Kathmandu : International Cricket Council (ICC) has unveiled the official draw for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-2026, set to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Nepal has been placed in a challenging Group C alongside three Test-playing nations — England, West Indies, and Bangladesh — as well as Italy.
West Indies, the two-time T20 World Cup champions, and England, the 2010 winners, headline the group. Nepal and Bangladesh, meanwhile, find themselves in the same group for the third time. In Nepal’s three T20 World Cup appearances, Bangladesh have been their group-stage opponents each time, including in the 2014 edition and in last year’s tournament.
Nepal have never beaten Bangladesh in any international format. However, the team enters the tournament with confidence after their historic 2–1 Test series win over the West Indies in the UAE last September. The fixture against England will mark Nepal’s first-ever meeting with the English side in international cricket.
According to the schedule, Nepal will begin their campaign on February 8 against England in Mumbai. They will then take on Italy on February 12, West Indies on February 15, and Bangladesh on February 17. All group-stage matches involving Nepal will be played in Mumbai.
The rest of the draw sees:
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Group A: India, Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands, USA
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Group B: Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
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Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, UAE
The tournament will open on February 7 with Pakistan facing the Netherlands in Colombo. On the same day, West Indies will meet Bangladesh in Kolkata and hosts India will take on the USA in Mumbai—marking the first time in T20 World Cup history that three matches will be played on the opening day.
The event will be staged across five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.
Eight teams, the top two from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, where they will be further divided into two groups. The top two teams from each Super Eight group will progress to the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for March 8 in Ahmedabad, but if Pakistan qualify, the title match will be shifted to Colombo in accordance with the tournament’s security arrangements.
