ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: Scotland Replaces Bangladesh Explained

Scotland takes Bangladesh’s place in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after BCB declined to compete in India.

The ICC has confirmed that Scotland will take the place of Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

On Saturday, it was officially announced that Bangladesh will not take part in the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declined to engage according to the released match schedule.

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Scotland will replace Bangladesh in Group C, joining England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies.

This choice follows the ICC’s denial of the BCB’s appeal to transfer their matches from India to Sri Lanka, the tournament co-hosts starting on February 7, because there is no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India.

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The ICC has announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the #T20WorldCup.

Details 📲 https://t.co/M61nOzx2fF

— ICC (@ICC) January 24, 2026

Independent security evaluations were carried out by both internal and external specialists.

In a statement, the ICC clarified that the Board determined it was impractical to meet the BCB’s requests so near to the tournament.

“The choice comes after a thorough procedure conducted by the ICC to respond to issues highlighted by the BCB concerning the hosting of its planned matches in India,” the ICC expressed.

“For over three weeks, the ICC interacted with the BCB through several rounds of dialogue carried out openly and positively, including sessions conducted via video conferencing and face-to-face.”

“In this process, the ICC evaluated the BCB’s issues, commissioned and reviewed independent security evaluations, and provided comprehensive security and operational strategies.” These strategies included federal and state agreements, alongside improved and increasing security measures for the occasion. These guarantees were emphasized at various points, including during talks with the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.

The ICC’s evaluations determined that there was no reliable or confirmable security risk to the Bangladesh national team, officials, or fans in India.

“Considering these results and after thorough evaluation of the wider consequences, the ICC concluded that modifying the released event schedule was unsuitable.”

After a meeting on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board was allotted 24 hours to verify its involvement in India as planned. Since no confirmation arrived by the deadline, the ICC “moved forward according to its established governance and qualification procedures to select a substitute team.”

Scotland, which is currently placed 14th, is the next-highest ranked T20I team that initially failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup, above rival teams Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy

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