The International Cricket Council has formally confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on February 7.
The decision came after Bangladesh’s refusal to tour India for the tournament, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the Bangladeshi government repeatedly citing security concerns. "Despite more than three weeks of consultations, Bangladesh did not provide final confirmation of participation within the deadline set by the ICC," asserted the ICC.
According to the ICC, extensive discussions were held with the BCB, alongside detailed security assessments conducted by both internal and independent external experts. The ICC stated that no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team, officials or supporters in India was identified during these reviews.
The ICC also declined the BCB’s request to relocate Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka, a co-host of the tournament, adding that changes to the published schedule were not feasible so close to the event.
Following a final meeting, the BCB was given 24 hours to confirm participation under the existing arrangements. When no response was received within that timeframe, the ICC acted in accordance with its governance and qualification regulations to name a replacement side.
Scotland, currently ranked 14th in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, were selected as the next highest-ranked team that had narrowly missed qualification. Their ranking is above Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Oman and Italy.
Scotland will take Bangladesh’s place in Group C, alongside England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies.
