This marks the first time Bangladesh will not be part of the T20 World Cup since 2007.
Scotland have officially replaced Bangladesh in Group C of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, commencing from February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. The International Cricket Council made this unusual decision after Bangladesh refused to travel to India, citing security concerns. The decision followed nearly three weeks of negotiations between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which ultimately did not reach an agreement.
Full timeline of why Bangladesh are not playing in T20 World Cup 2026
During the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, the Netherlands and Italy topped the table and qualified for the main event. Jersey came third with two wins, while the Scottish followed in the next spot with a solitary win. However, Scotland are placed higher in the list of ICC T20I teams rankings.
“Scotland are the next-highest ranked T20I team that had originally missed T20 World Cup qualification. They are currently ranked 14th, which in fact is ahead of competing teams Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman and Italy,” the ICC statement read.
They take the 14th spot, while Jersey are at No.27. Furthermore, among the other regional qualifiers, Scotland still ranks higher than the other nations that didn’t qualify. This means the Scottish hold a preference based on their rankings and were promoted to the T20 World Cup 2026.
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Scotland participated in the T20 World Cup 2024, where they ended third in Group B, defeating Namibia and Oman. They had a good chance to qualify for the Super Eight stage, but their loss to Australia in the last group stage game cost them that spot. At the end of the league stage, Scotland (1.255) finished with five points and two wins, the same as England (3.611). But the latter moved on to the next stage because of a better net run rate.
Previously, Scotland were part of the first two T20 World Cup editions held in South Africa and England. They did not win any games in either season and finished last in 2009. Scotland did not qualify for the next three World Cups in 2010, 2012, and 2014, but they reached the group stage in 2016.
In 2021, they made it to the Super 12 stage. They beat Bangladesh and Oman but lost all five Super 12 matches and were eliminated. In the T20 World Cup 2022, Scotland defeated two-time champions West Indies but lost to Ireland and Zimbabwe, which led to their exit from the tournament.
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