The Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is underway in India and Sri Lanka. A total of 20 teams are in action in the group stage. This first round consists of 40 matches.
But how exactly does the group stage work in the T20 World Cup 2026?
Here’s our explainer.
But before that…
What are the groups?
We have four groups – A, B, C, and D. Each group consists of five teams.
Here are the groups for the T20 World Cup 2026:
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Australia | England | New Zealand |
| Pakistan | Sri Lanka | West Indies | South Africa |
| USA | Ireland | Scotland | Afghanistan |
| Netherlands | Zimbabwe | Nepal | Canada |
| Namibia | Oman | Italy | UAE |
Have teams been given seedings?
Yes. The ICC has given pre-assigned seedings to all teams according to their groups.
For instance, teams in Group A are seeded as A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5. India are A1, Pakistan A2, USA A3, the Netherlands A4, and Namibia A5.
Similarly, teams in the other three groups have been seeded.
Here are the group stage seedings:
Group A: India (A1), Pakistan (A2), USA (A3), Netherlands (A4), Namibia (A5)
Group B: Australia (B1), Sri Lanka (B2), Ireland (B3), Zimbabwe (B4), Oman (B5)
Group C: England (C1), West Indies (C2), Scotland (C3), Nepal (C4), Italy (C5)
Group D: New Zealand (D1), South Africa (D2), Afghanistan (D3), Canada (D4), UAE (D5)
Know All About T20WC 2026 Here
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Now, how does the group stage work?
The group stage is straightforward. Teams will play their group opponents once in a single round-robin format. So, each team will play four matches in the group stage.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight stage.
How will teams advance to the Super Eight stage?
The two teams from each group with the most points will advance to the second round. Each win carries two points, while a tie, no result or abandoned match gives one point.
If two or more teams have the same number of points, then the team with the most wins will proceed ahead.
In case teams have the same number of wins and points, then the team with the highest net run rate will qualify.
If the wins, points, and net run rates are equal, then the head-to-head result between the concerned teams will be taken into account.
If the above scenarios don’t decide the qualification, then the teams with the highest ranking in the ICC Men’s T20I team rankings on February 6, 2026, will proceed ahead.
Read Next | T20 World Cup 2026: How Scotland replaced Bangladesh?
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