Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have been clubbed together in the same group and will play each other on 15 February in Colombo in the T20 World Cup, cricket's world body announced on Tuesday.
Defending champions India and Pakistan have been placed in Group A in the 20-team competition being co-hosted by Sri Lanka, according to the schedule released by the International Cricket Council in Mumbai.
It will be the first time the two teams play each other since their three heated contests at the 2025 Asia Cup in the UAE, where they skipped the customary handshake at the toss and post-match greetings.
Here are the groups for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, 2026 🏆#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/elxUwxNnAJ
— Circle of Cricket (@circleofcricket) November 25, 2025
The Asia Cup was the first time they had met since a deadly border conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
The T20 World Cup will see Pakistan playing all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a compromise deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
Matches in the tournament will be held from 7 February across five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.
Defending champions India will begin their Group A campaign against the US in Mumbai on the opening day of the tournament.
Sri Lanka and Australia are in Group B, which also includes Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.
England and West Indies, both twice winners, will face first-timers Italy and Asian sides Bangladesh and Nepal in Group C.
New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and United Arab Emirates make up Group D.
Cricket-mad India, the world's most populous nation, is the epicentre of the T20 game through its lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), boasting top global stars.
The tournament will use the same format as 2024 – 20 teams in four groups, ahead of a Super Eights phase, with the top two finishers from each group making it to the playoffs.
The final will be played on 8 March either in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan go all the way.
The schedule for ICC Men’s @T20WorldCup 2026 is here! 📅
— ICC (@ICC) November 25, 2025
The matches and groups were unveiled at a gala event in Mumbai led by ICC Chairman @JayShah, and with new tournament ambassador @ImRo45 and Indian team captains @surya_14kumar and Harmanpreet Kaur in attendance.
✍️:… pic.twitter.com/fsjESpJPlE
UNMATCHED PASSION FOR CRICKET
India enter the sport's 10th edition of the showcase T20 tournament as reigning champions, having beaten South Africa by seven runs in 2024 in Barbados.
Indian fans are dreaming of seeing their men's team win a second time at home, after they clinched the 50-over World Cup in Mumbai in 2011.
India's women celebrated a watershed moment this month, when the team won their first World Cup crown, beating South Africa in the final at Mumbai.
Indian broadcaster JioHotstar said the viewing figures of the final on their app matched that of the men's T20 World Cup 2024 summit clash, a "staggering 185 million users", according to the ICC.
"It is wonderful to welcome the ICC Men's T20 World Cup back to the subcontinent so soon after a groundbreaking Women's Cricket World Cup," ICC chairman Jay Shah said.
"The passion for cricket in this region is unmatched, and fans have been waiting eagerly for another global spectacle."
Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat, is home to a 130 000-seater arena which is the world's biggest cricket stadium, named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The city is in prime position to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with a final announcement on Wednesday.
India has its eyes on a bigger prize, having submitted a formal letter of intent last year to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.