Will Pakistan participate in the T20 World Cup 2026. Check details

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to start on February 07. However, Pakistan's drama is still ongoing ahead of the competition. The Pakistan Cricket Board was the only board that supported Bangladesh’s demands to switch venues. And, due to PCB’s backing, Bangladesh continuously upheld their decision. In the end, the ICC officially replaced the Bangladesh team with Scotland. And now, Scotland has become an official participant in the upcoming tournament. Following this, many theories suggest that Pakistan would also boycott the big event in protest over Bangladesh's absence. But it seems that the problem is currently disappearing. 

Pakistan’s interior minister & PCB’s chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, stated earlier that the final decision (whether Pakistan will participate in the World Cup or not) will be announced on Sunday. However, according to media reports, a boycott of the T20 World Cup is unlikely to be boycotted. They will also feature against India in the same event. 

Bangladesh has already exited from the World Cup, and Scotland is officially set to play the tournament. In the ICC meeting for Bangladesh’s venue change concerns, only Pakistan raised its hand for Bangladesh. And the majority favours India. 

After meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, Mohsin Naqvi, who had earlier stated that all options were open, modified his stance.

"Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz (Shahbaz) Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday," the PCB chief said in a social media post.

Before the Sharif-Naqvi meeting, several Pakistani media reports suggested that the Pakistan cricket team might boycott the entire World Cup. Multiple reports also suggest that men in green will boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India during the World Cup, but now, if some reports are to be believed, they have no other option but to follow the World Cup schedule. 

However, after this, some reports came, according to which if the Pakistan team boycotts the World Cup, then the ICC can take some major action against them. Any boycott would be an offence of the ICC participation agreement, which could result in penalties including suspension from international & Asia Cup competitions and the cancellation of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for foreign players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

Furthermore, since Pakistan is set to play in a venue of their own choosing, they have no reason to boycott either the World Cup or the India match. Despite this, if Pakistan refuses to travel to Sri Lanka for the event, the ICC will recall Bangladesh. In this case, Bangladesh will replace Pakistan, and they will play their matches in Sri Lanka. 

“If Pakistan decides to withdraw, Bangladesh would be allowed to replace them in Group A and play all their matches in Sri Lanka as per BCB’s original request. This arrangement would pose limited logistical challenges,” an official said.