There are still 13 group stage games remaining, but we already have ourselves two confirmed teams for the next Super Eight stage at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. On Sunday, the West Indies became the first team to confirm their berth after an easy win over Nepal. Later that night, India bludgeoned Pakistan to advance to the next stage with one game in hand. It was expected, but the two teams will now feature against each other in a crucial Super 8 game.
India and West Indies to face each other in Super 8s
The ICC has made sure that there won’t be any logistical challenges, as they have decided which team will be in which Super 8 group. Irrespective of weather they finish in the group stages (if qualified), all the teams already know their Super 8 group. As for India, they are in Group 1, which is the tougher of the two groups.
Now that India and the West Indies have qualified, they are in the same group. All four qualified teams in each group will face each other once. India’s game against the Windies is scheduled to take place on March 1 at the Eden Gardens stadium. Interestingly, it will also be the last Super 8 match, giving a slight advantage to both the teams as they would then know the margin of the win they need to qualify for the semi-finals.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – Super 8 Schedule (India)
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| India vs South Africa | February 22 | Ahmedabad |
| India vs Zimbabwe/Australia | February 26 | Chennai |
| India vs West Indies | March 1 | Kolkata |
The other two teams that are most likely to qualify in India’s Super 8 group are South Africa and Australia. While there remains a question mark over Australia, South Africa are more or less confirmed. India and South Africa will face each other on February 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. As for Australia, they shot themselves on foot by losing to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe have their chances to qualify as well, and they will face India on February 26 in Chennai if they pip Australia in Group B.
The other Super 8 will feature the likes of England, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, considering all them qualify.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: Super 8 Pre-Seeding Explained
Before a ball was bowled in the group stage, the ICC already had the Super 8 framework locked in. The eight teams that qualify from the four groups will be slotted into two Super 8 groups based on pre-seeding, not fresh draws. This system is done to ease the travel and help fans plan which games to watch live from the stadium. Easy logistics. This means even if Australia finish second in their group B, they will be X2 and not Y4 for the Super 8s.
Each Super 8 group will eventually consist of four teams, but for now, these slots are placeholders, marked as X1–X4 and Y1–Y4, depending on where teams finish in the first round. The Super 8s stage starts from February 21 onwards.
Super 8 Group 1 – Pre-Seeding
| Slot | Team (Pre-seeded) | P | W | L | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X1 | India (Confirmed) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| X2 | Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| X3 | West Indies (Confirmed) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| X4 | South Africa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
Super 8 Group 2 – Pre-Seeding
| Slot | Team (Pre-seeded) | P | W | L | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y1 | England | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Y2 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Y3 | Pakistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Y4 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
How teams land here (in simple terms)
- X1, Y1 → Group-stage table toppers
- X2, Y2 → Group-stage runners-up
- Pre-seeding decides which Super 8 group they enter, not their position
- Actual points and NRR reset once Super 8 begins
The top two teams from Super 8s Groups 1 and 2 will qualify for the semi-finals.
- 1st Semi-final: March 4 – X1 vs Y2 – To be Decided
- 2nd Semi-final: March 5 – Y1 vs X2 – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- ICC T20 World Cup Final – March 8 – Narendra Modi Stadium (if Pakistan don’t qualify)
Cricket
Should India rest Jasprit Bumrah & Hardik Pandya against the Netherlands for Super 8 preparations?
