The International Cricket Council has officially confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board declined to participate under the tournament’s published match schedule.
The decision was formally announced on Saturday, ending weeks of uncertainty surrounding Bangladesh’s participation. The ICC said Bangladesh would no longer compete in the tournament after the BCB refused to send its team to India, citing security concerns, despite repeated assurances from the governing body.
Scotland have been drafted into Group C, where they will join England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies. The tournament is scheduled to begin on February 7.
In its official statement, the ICC said it had rejected the BCB’s request to relocate Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka — a co-host of the tournament — after determining that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team.
The ICC said the decision followed an extensive engagement process lasting more than three weeks, during which it held multiple rounds of discussions with the BCB through video conferences and in-person meetings.
“As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns raised by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans,” the statement said.
According to the ICC, these plans covered federal and state-level security arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating protocols for teams, officials and supporters. The assurances were reiterated at several stages, including discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation Board.
“The ICC’s assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India,” the statement added.
Given these findings and the proximity of the tournament, the ICC said it was not feasible to amend the event schedule. The board also cited broader implications for governance and consistency in global events.
Following an ICC board meeting on Wednesday, the BCB was given a 24-hour deadline to confirm whether Bangladesh would travel to India as scheduled. When no confirmation was received within that timeframe, the ICC proceeded with its established governance and qualification procedures to identify a replacement team.
Scotland were selected as they are the next-highest ranked T20I side to narrowly miss out on direct qualification. They are currently ranked 14th in the ICC T20I rankings, ahead of teams such as Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Oman and Italy.
With this decision, Bangladesh will miss the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, while Scotland earn a late entry into the tournament through ICC’s official replacement process.
