ICC Confirms India–Pakistan Match for Colombo
India and Pakistan will meet in Colombo on 15 February during the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup, according to officials.
The match will be staged at the R Premadasa Stadium and marks their first encounter since three tense games at the recently concluded 2025 Asia Cup.
Tournament organisers have grouped India and Pakistan with the United States, Netherlands and Namibia for the initial stage.
The tournament, running from 7 February to 8 March, will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka across multiple major venues.
Pakistan will play all their group matches in Colombo or Kandy, reflecting logistical arrangements agreed between the two boards.
The competition format mirrors the system used at the 2024 edition in the United States and West Indies.
Twenty teams are divided into four groups, with the top two from each progressing to a Super Eight round featuring two further groups.
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Teams advancing from the Super Eight stage will compete for places in the semi-finals, which are planned for Mumbai and either Colombo or Kolkata.
The final will be played in Ahmedabad, unless Pakistan qualify, in which case Colombo is considered the likely venue.
If India advance beyond the group stage, their Super Eight matches are expected to take place in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata.
Officials say these assignments balance commercial interest with competitive fairness across the tournament framework.
Alongside hosts India and Sri Lanka, the participating teams include Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies.
Other qualifiers are Afghanistan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Zimbabwe, Netherlands, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, UAE and the United States.
