England and South Africa have sped their way into the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with comfortable victories. The line-up for the semifinals has begun to take shape. The top two teams from each of the two Super 8 groups will qualify for the semifinals of the 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played on March 4 and 5.
In the Super 8 stage, each team faces the other three sides in its group once. The group standings will determine the four semifinalists. If teams are level on both points and number of wins, Net Run Rate (NRR) will be used as the tiebreaker.
England became the first team to seal qualification from Group 2. The two-time champions began their Super 8 campaign with a 51-run victory over Sri Lanka in Kandy, before another win over Pakistan at the same venue confirmed their place in the semifinals for a fifth consecutive edition. This will also be their sixth top-four finish overall in 10 editions.
New Zealand and Pakistan in the race
Co-hosts Sri Lanka were the first team to be eliminated from the Super 8 stage following a 61-run defeat to New Zealand in Colombo. New Zealand and Pakistan are still in the race for the second qualification spot from Group 2.
Meanwhile, South Africa became the first team to secure qualification from Group 1 with wins over India and the West Indies.
Zimbabwe, following a 72-run defeat against the Indian cricket team in Chennai on Thursday, was the first team to crash out from Group 1 of the Super 8.
India-West Indies still in the mix
The India vs West Indies match at the Eden Gardens on Sunday will decide the second team from the group.
The semifinals will see the Group 2 winners face the Group 1 runners-up while the Group 1 winners have been drawn against the Group 2 runners-up.
The first semifinal on March 4 remains a floating venue arrangement. If Pakistan progress, the match will be held in Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium while any other scenario will see the contest play out in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
The second semifinal is slated to be hosted at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The T20 World Cup 2026 final will be played on March 8. If Pakistan reach the final, it will be played in Colombo; otherwise, it will be played in Ahmedabad.
