The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 will take place over the next few weeks, and there are still questions about what to expect in terms of who will participate in the competition. With that being said, the tournament has already confirmed its scheduled fixtures for the group stages. In Group A, Pakistan will face India, the US, Namibia and the Netherlands. All of Pakistan's group matches will take place in Columbia.

According to the current itinerary, Pakistan's group stage will consist of four matches – each opponent twice in the initial round of the tournament. The fixtures show clearly what will happen on paper, but additional developments that take place off the field have created even more interest around the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Pakistan's tournament begins with a match against the Netherlands on February 7th, followed by the United States on February 10th. On February 15th, one of the most exciting moments of the tournament will occur when Pakistan meets their arch nemesis India in a highly charged atmosphere. Their last league match is scheduled for February 18th against Namibia. After that match Pakistan will complete the group stages and compete in the knockout stage.

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However, preparations for the tournament have been clouded by recent developments involving Bangladesh, who have withdrawn from the competition. Their exit has led organisers to rope in Scotland as a replacement, reshaping the tournament narrative. Bangladesh’s decision has also sparked broader discussions about the consequences of further withdrawals, with Pakistan’s participation now being speculated upon in certain circles. These uncertainties have added tension to an event that was expected to be defined purely by on-field action.

Pakistan’s position and potential fallout ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

According to reports, Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s request to shift their World Cup matches to neutral venues and even voted in favour of the proposal during an ICC meeting. Despite this backing, the ICC chose to retain the original schedule, making no changes to the designated venues. Pakistan’s stance has since drawn attention, as it signals alignment with Bangladesh’s concerns, even though the governing body remained firm. The episode has added to the growing uncertainty surrounding team participation, with discussions now extending beyond Bangladesh’s withdrawal.

The decision made by Pakistan to boycott the tournament will have an enormous financial impact on them. According to reports, Pakistan stands to lose approximately $5 million in total from all of the costs associated with preparing for, and participating in this tournament; while their players as a team, will be forfeiting about $2 million in cash from winnings and fees associated with participating in these games. In addition to the financial consequences that Pakistan will experience if they do indeed choose to boycott this tournament, the loss of their presence at an ICC event will cause the Pakistan Cricket Board, which relies on itself for revenue, to be further challenged as they plan for future tournaments and strive to become a viable commercial entity within the international cricket community.

Organizing authorities for the tournament will have to fill the position vacated by Pakistan in order to maintain the viability of the tournament structure. The next highest ranked T20 team in the world, Uganda, has been suggested as one of the teams that could take Pakistan's place in the tournament; this process was followed when Bangladesh was eliminated from the current qualifying process. It is important to note that as of the time of this writing, there has been no formal announcement regarding what Pakistan will ultimately decide to do. Due to the fact that game scheduling has already been completed, and this tournament is approaching quickly, the decisions that international teams and cricket governing bodies will have to make regarding further withdrawals, could result in far reaching ramifications for international cricket governing bodies.