EXPLAINER
From the schedule and venues to the title favorites and their route to the semi-finals: Al Jazeera explains it all.
Published March 2, 2026
Sanju Samson’s impressive unbeaten innings of 97 in a must-win game against West Indies took India over the line in their final Super Eights match, completing the semi-final line-up for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The champions’ bid to become the only team to successfully defend the title, lift the trophy on home soil and claim an unprecedented third T20 World Cup is still ongoing, but they face tough challenges from powerful opponents in the qualifiers.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the T20 World Cup semi-finals:
What are the schedules and venues for the semi-finals?
- New Zealand vs South Africa on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. GMT) in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, India
- India vs England on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. GMT) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India
What was New Zealand’s path to the semi-finals?
Group stage:
- Defeated Afghanistan by 5 wickets.
- They defeated the United Arab Emirates by 10 wickets.
- Lost to South Africa by 7 wickets
- They defeated Canada by 7 wickets.
Super Eight:
- The match against Pakistan abandoned
- They defeated Sri Lanka by 61 runs.
- Lost to England by 4 wickets
What was South Africa’s path to the semi-finals?
Group stage:
- They defeated Canada by 57 runs.
- They defeated Afghanistan in the second super over.
- They defeated South Africa by 7 wickets.
- Defeated United Arab Emirates by 6 wickets.
Super Eight:
- They defeated India by 76 runs.
- Defeated West Indies by 9 wickets.
- Defeated Zimbabwe by 5 wickets
What was India’s path to the semi-finals?
Group stage:
- They defeated the United States by 29 runs.
- They defeated Namibia by 93 runs.
- They defeated Pakistan by 61 runs.
- They defeated Holland by 17 runs.
Super Eight:
- Lost to South Africa by 76 runs
- They defeated Zimbabwe by 72 runs.
- Defeated West Indies by 5 wickets.
What was England’s path to the semi-finals?
Group stage:
- Defeated Nepal by 4 runs.
- Lost to West Indies by 30 runs
- Defeated Scotland by 5 wickets.
- They defeated Italy by 24 runs.
Super Eight:
- They defeated Sri Lanka by 51 runs.
- Defeated Pakistan by 2 wickets.
- Defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets.
Which teams are favorites to enter the final?
South Africa are on a mission to regain the opportunity lost in the previous T20 World Cup final, where they lost by seven runs despite being in control for most of the chase.
In the current edition, the Proteas are the only undefeated team and have won all but one of their matches comprehensively in the previous two phases of the tournament.
South Africa is the only team to have two batsmen in the tournament’s top run-scorers table and three bowlers among the top wicket-takers.
Form and statistics make Aiden Markram’s team favorites for the final, as well as the title, but can they shake off their usual jitters in the knockout stage?
India have been far from perfect in this tournament, but they have found ways to get out of the holes they often found themselves in, be it with the bat or the ball.
Being the top-ranked T20 team in the ICC with the best batsman and bowler in their side, the champions will be the favorites to retain the title.
Playing in front of a partisan, cricket-mad home crowd backfired on them in the 50-over World Cup in 2023, so it remains to be seen whether they will succumb to the pressure of expectations or thrive under it.
How and where can I follow and stream the T20 World Cup semi-finals?
Al Jazeera Sport will provide full live coverage of both semi-finals. Our build-up will begin at 10:00 GMT on match day, followed by photo coverage and a stream of text commentary.
