Pakistan's participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup is uncertain as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) awaits instructions from the government, according to chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Naqvi emphasised that the PCB would follow the government's decision, especially with the Prime Minister currently out of the country.
This comes after Bangladesh's withdrawal from the World Cup due to security concerns, leading to their exclusion by the ICC. The Bangla Tigers have been replaced by Scotland as the tournament is only a fortnight away. Naqvi criticised the ICC’s treatment of Bangladesh, stating that they should have been allowed to play under the same terms as Pakistan, whose matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model.
Even though Pakistan have threatned multiple times in the past, they haven’t shown enough courage to back out of an ICC tournament. In case they back themselves to pull out this time, following Bangladesh’s decision, the ICC will replace the Men in Green with Uganda.
In Bangladesh’s case, they were replaced by Scotland, who were the highest-ranked team on the ICC T20I rankings chart that didn’t qualify for the mega tournament. Uganda stand second on the list and they will eventually have the opportunity to replace Pakistan, should PCB take the bold call.
Pakistan have been drafted in Group A
Pakistan has been placed in Group A for the 2026 T20 World Cup, alongside India, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia. Led by Salman Agha, Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo, followed by matches against the USA on February 10, India on February 15, and Namibia on February 18. However, if Pakistan decide to boycott the tournament, Uganda will be granted the same schedule that Pakistan was assigned, just as Scotland has been given Bangladesh's original fixtures.