Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium is shortlisted to host the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final as the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to announce the schedule in the coming days.
The Indian Express understands that in a meeting held among top BCCI officials, it was decided that this time the World Cup will be played in fewer cities compared to the 2023 World Cup, and each venue is expected to get at least six games each.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had shortlisted Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. It is learnt that three stadiums in Sri Lanka will host the matches, but there is no clarity over which those venues would be.
There is also no clarity on whether Bengaluru and Lucknow will be considered as venues to host games, as India will be hosting the tournament with Sri Lanka.
The Indian board has already decided that those venues that hosted the ICC Women’s 50-over World Cup won’t be considered to host the men’s tournament. Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Indore and Navi Mumbai hosted the Women’s ODI World Cup matches in India.
Meanwhile, the ICC has made it clear to the Indian board that if Sri Lanka qualifies for the semi-finals, the neighbouring country will be playing in Colombo. And if Pakistan comes in the final, the tournament summit clash will be played at a neutral venue.
The Indian board has made it clear that the India and Pakistan game will be played in Colombo as per the agreement signed before, which will allow India and Pakistan to play their league games in a third nation.
The BCCI and PCB had come to an agreement before the Champions Trophy that, henceforth, they won’t travel to each other’s nations and instead will play in foreign soil. The tournament is expected to start early in 2026, and the BCCI has submitted its schedule to the ICC.
