The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the T20 World Cup 2026 schedule which confirmed that India will play their semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai except when they face Pakistan. The landmark match will take place at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium in that situation. Pakistan will play their semi-final match in Colombo because they will advance to the next round even if they face teams other than India.
The organizers planned to hold semi-final 1 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. The ICC is now assessing Colombo as the first semi-final venue because they need to decide about Sri Lanka’s qualification which is scheduled for 10 days later. The Eden Gardens will lose its potential to host the match if Sri Lanka and Pakistan advance to the semi-finals from group B of the Super Eights. The marquee clash will take place at Kolkata on March 4 if both teams fail to advance.
The match will take place in Colombo or Kolkata because of the floating arrangement for semi-final 1. If Pakistan reaches the semi-finals, they will compete in semi-final 1 which takes place in Colombo on 4 March. An ICC official told ESPNcricinfo that Sri Lanka will play in semi-final 1 at Colombo if Pakistan does not qualify but Sri Lanka qualifies and faces teams other than India.
Mess to be a fan The fans will be kept in the dark until the last moment because they will not be able to book tickets for the semi-final or the final. The Champions Trophy 2025 event experienced similar problems because it ended up creating more confusion in the competition.
The final match of the competition will take place at Colombo if Pakistan reaches the final because Narendra Modi Stadium will lose its chance to host the championship match. The fans will need to wait until the last moment to make their booking.
