ICC T20 World Cup matches will be played in India and Sri Lanka. Although Pakistan players will not face trouble in obtaining visas as all their games are to be played in Sri Lanka, many other participating teams like Oman, UAE, Italy, USA and Canada have players of Pakistani origin who are not able to get their visas approved to travel to India.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be co-hosted by India and its neighbor Sri Lanka. While most of the matches will be played in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka will host its group matches and any knockout games involved in them on its ground.
India will be the defending champions of the competition, having won the previous edition of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024. They are also the most indispensable and strong team in the shortest format of the game, and they won the Asia Cup this time too.
Players of Pakistani origin denied visa for ICC T20 World Cup in India
Just a month before the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, a new issue has been linked to both the teams, India and Pakistan. Many players who are from the country of Pakistan and have passports of Pakistani origin.
Among the players who are part of teams like USA, UAE, Italy, Canada and Oman, there are many star cricketers who hold Pakistani passports, and after not getting a chance to become a star for Pakistan, they went on to play for these countries.
The respective boards of these teams have written to the ICC and BCCI regarding the issues; However, they have not received any response yet. A report by GeoNews has confirmed that after writing to them individually, all five boards are keen to collectively address the issue and resolve it.
Pakistan team has no visa problem for T20 World Cup
Interestingly, Pakistan has not participated in a series in India since 2012-13, but will travel to the country for the ICC World Cup in 2023. However, now Pakistan and India have signed an agreement that opts for the hybrid model in ICC tournaments.
So, like the Champions Trophy, when India played all its games in Dubai, and Pakistan was the official host of the competition. Now, Pakistan will play all its matches in Sri Lanka, which means they will not have to worry about getting visas for their players.
Notably, as per the agreement, if Pakistan makes it to the knockouts of the ICC T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play its matches in Sri Lanka. The mega event will take place in Colombo.
Amidst the India-Bangladesh dispute, Bangladeshi players may also face visa problems.
The recent escalating disputes between India and Bangladesh and both the boards, BCCI and BCB, will definitely complicate the situation for Bangladesh players. Given the unrest in Bangladesh, it would be difficult for them to obtain an Indian visa without any complications.
Furthermore, he has asked the ICC to shift its venue to Sri Lanka and has refused to travel to India. The ICC has informed that such changes cannot be made at this time; However, the BCB is yet to finalize its stance on the issue.
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