The upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 is due to begin on February 07 with the Eden Gardens in Kolkata set to host its first game of the competition in the afternoon between West Indies and Bangladesh, even though the latter's participation remains a mystery due to the ongoing political situation.

The venue will host several games in the tournament, including the potential game for the Indian side if they qualify for the second stage of the event. The ground notably hosted the famous final of the T20 World Cup 2016 between England and West Indies, when the two-time champions hosted the competition last time.

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Just two weeks ahead of the curtain raiser of the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) security members reached Kolkata to assess and get a final picture of the Eden Gardens' security arrangements for the World Cup 2026. The ground is scheduled to host the first semifinal of the event if Pakistan fails to qualify for the mentioned clash.

ICC security arrives in Kolkata for T20 World Cup 2026 preparation

Most teams have begun their last-minute preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup, with the co-hosts, the Indian side, facing New Zealand in a home five-match T20I series, while Sri Lanka is hosting England in three T20Is. After the three T20Is against Afghanistan, the West Indies will fly to South Africa for the same number of games of the shortest format.

Australia and Pakistan would be facing each other in the T20I series. However, there will be discussions on Pakistan's participation in the World Cup as the PCB wrote a letter to the ICC on refusing to play the World Cup if they don’t solve the issues of the BCB, which now seems to be the wrong decision.

Pakistan is not scheduled to travel to India, as they will play all of their group matches in Sri Lanka after the mutual agreement with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to play their games in neutral venues.