ICC T20 Cricket World Cup 2026: tournament preview, betting odds and favourites
Ladbrokes brings you its full guide to the T20 World Cup
India current favourites
England joint-second favourites with Australia and South Africa
Ladbrokes brings you its full preview of the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, with a month-long extravaganza of cricket set to get underway in India and Sri Lanka on February 7th, with twenty teams competing to reach the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8th.
Our guide runs through the format, takes a look at the betting favourites and which players could have a major role to play. India, the defending champions from 2024, are the pre-tournament favourites to win the T20 World Cup.
ICC T20 Cricket World Cup: odds, format, schedule and betting guide
T20 World Cup: all you need to know
Hosts: India and Sri Lanka
Start: February 7, 2026
Final: March 8, 2026
Twenty teams take part in the group stage of the competition, split into four groups of five.
The top two from each group advance to the 'Super 8s' stage, which are divided into two groups of four based on seeding.
The top two from each Super 8s group will advance to the semi-finals, before the final concludes the tournament on March 8th.
Each team is awarded two points for a win, one for no result and zero for a loss. If a match ends in a tie, the game will be decided by a super over.
T20 World Cup odds: who are the favourites?
India are the current favourites to win the T20 World Cup at odds of 11/8. The co-hosts and reigning champions are in Group A, and were made to sweat in their opener against the USA before eventually winning. Their game against Pakistan will now go ahead after their opponents withdrew their boycott. India's squad is packed with talent, with Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav among the favourites to be the tournament's leading run-scorer, and spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy joint-favourites (9/1) to take the most wickets.
Australia are perennial contenders at ICC tournaments and are priced at 5/1, as they look to transfer their momentum from the red ball to white ball game. Travis Head is an explosive game-changer at the top of the order, although Pat Cummins remains sidelined by injury. The Aussies are in Group B, alongside Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and the USA.
England are joint-second favourites at odds of 5/1, with Harry Brook's side showing encouraging signs in their clean sweep series win over Sri Lanka in preparation. Adil Rashid is one of the world's premier spinners in the short format and should thrive in the subcontinent, reflected in the fact he's joint-favourite to be the tournament's leading wicket-taker. They survived embarrassment against Nepal in a game that went down to the final ball, with England winning by 4 runs.
South Africa have also moved to 5/1, with the Proteas still searching for that elusive first ICC title after a cricketing history littered with near-misses, most recently when losing by 7 runs in the final to India in 2024. Quinton de Kock has developed into an expert player of spin and few batters are more brutal than when he gets going, but can South Africa's elite pace bowlers like Kagiso Rabada adapt to the conditions?
New Zealand (8/1) and Pakistan (12/1) can't be ruled out, with the Kiwis in a tough looking Group D, but they've made the perfect start winning their first two. Cricket fans worldwide will be delighted with the news that Pakistan's game against India will go ahead, with Pakistan also unconvincing in defeating the Netherlands in the tournament's opening game. In the tier below the main contenders, co-hosts Sri Lanka are 25/1, the West Indies are odds of 33/1 and Afghanistan are 50/1 to win the tournament.
T20 World Cup - Group Stage table and results
Group A
Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Net Run Rate | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3.050 | 4 |
Pakistan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +0.932 | 4 |
Netherlands | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +0.356 | 2 |
USA | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.525 | 0 |
Namibia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2.884 | 0 |
Group A results
Pakistan beat Netherlands by 3 wickets
India beat USA by 29 runs
Netherlands beat Namibia by 7 wickets
Pakistan beat USA by 32 runs
India beat Namibia by 93 runs
Group B
Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Net Run Rate | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sri Lanka | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +3.125 | 4 |
Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +3.350 | 2 |
Zimbabwe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2.702 | 2 |
Ireland | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2.175 | 0 |
Oman | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -4.306 | 0 |
Group B results
Sri Lanka beat Ireland by 20 runs
Zimbabwe beat Oman by 8 wickets
Australia beat Ireland by 67 runs
Sri Lanka beat Oman by 105 runs
Group C
Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Net Run Rate | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West Indies | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1.625 | 4 |
Scotland | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +0.950 | 2 |
Italy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.352 | 2 |
England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.650 | 2 |
Nepal | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.854 | 0 |
Group C results
West Indies beat Scotland by 35 runs
England beat Nepal by 4 runs
Scotland beat Italy by 73 runs
West Indies beat England by 30 runs
Italy beat Nepal by 10 wickets
Group D
Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Net Run Rate | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Zealand | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1.919 | 4 |
South Africa | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +1.425 | 2 |
Afghanistan | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -0.555 | 0 |
UAE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -2.763 | 0 |
Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -2.850 | 0 |
Group D results
New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets
South Africa beat Canada by 57 runs
New Zealand beat UAE by 10 wickets
South Africa tied with Afghanistan (South Africa won super over)
T20 World Cup betting odds
When is the T20 World Cup final?
How do I watch the T20 World Cup?
Can I bet on the T20 World Cup?
View the latest cricket odds here.
All information is correct as of the date of publication.
