The Proteas have found out their group opponents for the 2026 T20 World Cup taking place from February and March in India and Sri Lanka.
South Africa has been named in a group alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE.
The tournament that is being co-hosted by defending champions India and Sri Lanka begins on 7 February and ends on 8 March. India and Pakistan have once again been drawn against one another at a global tournament, which will be played on a neutral ground – at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Their fixture takes place on 15 February.
After agreeing on a compromise deal that allows India and Pakistan to play one another at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments, it was determined that Pakistan would play all their games in Sri Lanka.
Five venues will be used in India and three in Sri Lanka. The venues being used in India are the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and Wankhede Stadium in Chennai.
Sri Lanka’s two other venues alongside the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will be the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, also in Colombo, and the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
The format for the tournament is the same as the previous edition in 2024 in the USA and the West Indies, where the 20 teams were divided into four groups of five. The top two teams from each of the groups progress to a Super Eight phase, where they will be further divided into two groups of four each.
The final of the tournament will be played in Ahmedabad or Colombo on 8 March – if Pakistan qualify, it will be in the latter. Similarly, the two semi-finals are in Kolkata – or Colombo if Pakistan qualify.
The complete first-round groups are as follows:
Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia
Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy
Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE
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