Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the 2026 T20 World Cup

It is official: Scotland has replaced Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, commencing in India and Sri Lanka on February 7. This inevitable outcome occurred after the International Cricket Council (ICC) enforced a strict deadline, removing Bangladesh due to non-compliance with ICC policies. ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta formally notified the Board, including BCB President Aminul Islam, that no option remained but to invite Scotland.

Selected as the highest ranked team not qualified (14th), Scotland originally missed qualification behind Netherlands and Italy but previously benefited from Zimbabwe’s 2009 withdrawal. They boast a strong recent record, notably beating Bangladesh in 2021 and nearly advancing in 2024. Scotland now joins Group C for the preliminary stage. Their schedule features matches in Kolkata against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9), and England (February 14), before travelling to Mumbai to face Nepal on February 17, completing the revised roster for 2026.