The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will begin on February 7. India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting this tournament. Group D includes New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE.
The first match of Group D will take place on February 8, featuring New Zealand against Afghanistan.
This group is considered very competitive. Afghanistan is a team to watch, and New Zealand and South Africa must be cautious of their performance.
Two teams from this five-member group will move on to the Super 8 stage, which will be split into two groups. The top teams from there will advance to the semi-finals.
This is the 10th edition of the ICC T20 World Cup, which started in 2007. India is the reigning champion, having won the title in 2024.
Here’s a quick overview of Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE from Group D.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan will participate in their 8th T20 World Cup. They reached the semi-finals in the 2024 edition held in the USA and the West Indies. Before that, they made the Super 12 in 2022 and 2021. In 2016, they progressed to the Super 10, while they exited in the first stage in 2014. They did not advance beyond the group stage in 2012 and 2010.
Afghanistan secured their place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 through direct qualification, having reached the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. According to ICC rules, teams that finish in the Super Eight automatically qualify for the next World Cup, eliminating the need for qualifiers.
Afghanistan has recorded 12 wins and 18 losses, with 2 matches abandoned.
Afghanistan squad for the T20 World Cup: Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran.
Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi.
Key player: Rashid Khan has taken 185 wickets in T20Is and is nearing 700 in T20 games. He is a key player on subcontinent pitches.
Afghanistan’s Schedule at T20 World Cup 2026
New Zealand vs Afghanistan – February 8, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
South Africa vs Afghanistan – February 11, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates – February 16, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Afghanistan vs Canada – February 19, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Afghanistan’s first three matches will begin at 11:00 am IST, while their last group match will start at 7:00 pm IST.
Canada
The Canada national Cricket team debuted in the T20 World Cup in 2024, where they exited in the group stage, winning one match and losing two, with one match abandoned.
Canada qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 by topping the Americas regional qualification tournament, securing an unbeaten run against other teams, thus earning a direct entry into the World Cup.
Canada squad for the T20 World Cup: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Buttar, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.
Key player: Navneet Dhaliwal holds the record for the most runs for Canada in T20Is, scoring 1197 runs at an average of 32.35 across 45 matches, including nine fifties.
Canada’s Schedule at T20 World Cup 2026
South Africa vs Canada – February 9, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Canada vs United Arab Emirates – February 13, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
New Zealand vs Canada – February 17, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Afghanistan vs Canada – February 19, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Their first match will kick off at 7:00 pm IST. The second match is at 3:00 pm IST, followed by games at 11:00 am IST and 7:00 pm IST.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates will compete in their third ICC T20 World Cup. They made their debut in 2014 but exited in the first stage. In 2022, they again faced early elimination.
In six T20 World Cup matches, the UAE has won 1 and lost 5.
The UAE qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 through the Asia regional qualifiers, finishing among the top teams in the final tournament, securing one of the available World Cup spots without needing additional playoffs.
UAE squad for the T20 World Cup: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
Key player: Muhammad Waseem has played 93 T20I matches for the UAE, scoring 3236 runs with an average of 36.77. He has three centuries and 25 fifties, boasting a strike rate of over 150.
UAE’s Schedule at T20 World Cup 2026
New Zealand vs UAE – February 10, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Canada vs UAE – February 13, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Afghanistan vs UAE – February 16, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
South Africa vs UAE – February 18, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
The UAE’s first two matches will begin at 3:00 pm IST, with their second and third games at 11:00 am IST.
