The wait is over. After successive changes and postponements because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Twenty20 Cricket World Cup is here.
Due to be played in Australia last year, and then moved to India before it was again relocated, the seventh edition of the T20 World Cup will take place in the United Arab Emirates and Oman over the next four weeks, marking the first time the Middle East has hosted the event.
An event that never fails to deliver big and exciting moments, this year's T20 World Cup will see 16 nations represented by the world's best men's short-format cricketers.
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West Indies are the defending champions from 2016, and have won the tournament a record two times, but will face fierce competition from world No. 1 England along with the likes of India, Australia and New Zealand for this year's crown.
When is the ICC T20 World Cup?
- Dates: Oct. 17 to Nov. 14
The ICC T20 World Cup was originally scheduled for October 2020 in India. The rescheduled T20 World Cup will begin on Sunday, Oct. 17 in United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The final will take place on Sunday, Nov. 14.
T20 World Cup TV & streaming in the USA
- TV channel: n/a
- Live stream: ESPN+, Willow TV
ESPN+ will stream the T20 World Cup starting Sunday, Oct. 17. The streaming service will show all matches in English and Hindi.
Coverage will begin at 6 a.m. ET for first-round matches, starting with Oman vs. Papua New Guinea, followed by Bangladesh vs. Scotland at 10 a.m. ET. ESPN+ will also show footage from the warm-up matches featuring India, West Indies, England, New Zealand, Australia and more.
ESPN+ offers a subscription for $6.99 a month ($69.99 per year). Fans can also purchase The Disney Bundle, which allows access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu or $13.99/month (Hulu with ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu without ads).
Click here to learn more about ESPN+ pricing and bundling options.
Willow TV is a streaming service solely dedicated to showing overseas cricket matches. They offer a $9.99/month or $60/year subscription. Willow is offered through Dish, Sling, Spectrum, Fiox, Xfinity, Optimum, Google Fiber and Altice One.
Willow TV will be showing the entirety of the matches from the ICC T20 World Cup.
Who is playing in the T20 World Cup?
There will be 16 teams playing in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
- India
- Pakistan
- Australia
- England
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- West Indies
- Afghanistan
- Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh
- Netherlands
- Papua New Guinea
- Ireland
- Namibia
- Scotland
- Oman
T20 World Cup draw
The groups for this year's T20 World Cup are listed below. The first matches for Round 1 Group B will compete on Sunday, Oct. 17, while Group A will begin on Monday, Oct. 18. From there, Groups B and A will alternate days for competition.
Teams will play in Round 1 of the tournament, with the top from each group progressing to the Super 12s against the top-eight ranked T20 cricket nations.
Group 1 competition will begin on Saturday, Oct. 23, followed by Group 2 competition beginning on Sunday, Oct. 24. The groups will also alternate days for competition until the semifinals begin on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
There will be 45 games in the tournament including the final.
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T20 World Cup groups
Round 1
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | Bangladesh |
| Ireland | Scotland |
| Netherlands | Papua New Guinea |
| Namibia | Oman |
Super 12s
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
| Australia | India |
| England | Pakistan |
| South Africa | New Zealand |
| West Indies | Afghanistan |
| 1st in Round 1 Group A | 1st in Round 1 Group B |
| 2nd in Round 1 Group B | 2nd in Round 1 Group A |
T20 World Cup 2021 schedule
Round 1
| Match | Date | Time (ET) | Location |
| Oman 131/0 def. Papua New Guinea 129/9 | Sunday, Oct. 17 | 6 a.m. | Oman |
| Scotland 140/9 def. Bangladesh 134/7 | Sunday, Oct. 17 | 10 a.m. | Oman |
| Ireland 107/3 def. Netherlands 106 | Monday, Oct. 18 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Sri Lanka 100/3 def. Namibia 96 | Monday, Oct. 18 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Scotland 165/9 def. Papua New Guinea 148 | Tuesday, Oct. 19 | 6 a.m. | Oman |
| Bangladesh 153 def. Oman 127/9 | Tuesday, Oct. 19 | 10 a.m. | Oman |
| Namibia 166/4 def. Netherlands 164/4 | Wednesday, Oct. 20 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Sri Lanka 171/7 def. Ireland 101 | Wednesday, Oct. 20 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Bangladesh 181/7 def. Papua New Guinea 97 | Thursday, Oct. 21 | 6 a.m. | Oman |
| Scotland 123/2 def. Oman 122 | Thursday, Oct. 21 | 10 a.m. | Oman |
| Namibia 126/2 def. Ireland 125/8 | Friday, Oct. 22 | 6 a.m. | Sharjah |
| Sri Lanka 45/2 def. Netherlands 44 | Friday, Oct. 22 | 10 a.m. | Sharjah |
Super 12 Groups 1 and 2
| Match | Date | Time (ET) | Location |
| Australia 121/5 def. South Africa 118/9 | Saturday, Oct. 23 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| England 56/4 def. West Indies 55 | Saturday, Oct. 23 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Sri Lanka 172/5 def. Bangladesh 171/4 | Sunday, Oct. 24 | 6 a.m. | Dubai |
| Pakistan 152/0 def. India 151/7 | Sunday, Oct. 24 | 10 a.m. | Dubai |
| Afghanistan 190/4 def. Scotland 60 | Monday, Oct. 25 | 10 a.m. | Sharjah |
| South Africa 144/2 def. West Indies 143/8 | Tuesday, Oct. 26 | 6 a.m. | Dubai |
| Pakistan 135/5 def. New Zealand 134/8 | Tuesday, Oct. 26 | 10 a.m. | Sharjah |
| England 126/2 def. Bangladesh 124/9 | Wednesday, Oct. 27 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Namibia 115/6 def. Scotland 109/8 | Wednesday, Oct. 27 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Australia 155/3 def. Sri Lanka 154/6 | Thursday, Oct. 28 | 10 a.m. | Dubai |
| West Indies 142/7 def. Bangladesh 139/5 | Friday, Oct. 29 | 6 a.m. | Sharjah |
| Pakistan 148/5 def. Afghanistan 147/6 | Friday, Oct. 29 | 10 a.m. | Dubai |
| South Africa 146/6 def. Sri Lanka 142 | Saturday, Oct. 30 | 6 a.m. | Sharjah |
| England 126/2 def. Australia 125 | Saturday, Oct. 30 | 10 a.m. | Dubai |
| Afghanistan 160/5 def. Namibia 98/9 | Sunday, Oct. 31 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| New Zealand 111/2 def. India 110/7 | Sunday, Oct. 31 | 10 a.m. | Dubai |
| England 163/4 def. Sri Lanka 137 | Monday, Nov. 1 | 10 a.m. | Sharjah |
| South Africa 86/4 def. Bangladesh 84 | Tuesday, Nov. 2 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Pakistan 189/2 def. Namibia 144/5 | Tuesday, Nov. 2 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| New Zealand 172/5 def. Scotland 156/5 | Wednesday, Nov. 3 | 6 a.m. | Dubai |
| India 210/2 def. Afghanistan 144/7 | Wednesday, Nov. 3 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Australia 78/2 def. Bangladesh 73 | Thursday, Nov. 4 | 6 a.m. | Dubai |
| Sri Lanka 189/3 def. West Indies 169/8 | Thursday, Nov. 4 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| New Zealand 163/4 def. Namibia 111/7 | Friday, Nov. 5 | 6 a.m. | Sharjah |
| India 89/2 def. Scotland 85 | Friday, Nov. 5 | 10 a.m. | Dubai |
| Australia 161/2 def. West Indies 157/7 | Saturday, Nov. 6 | 6 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| South Africa 189/2 def. England 179/8 | Saturday, Nov. 6 | 10 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| New Zealand 125/2 def. Afghanistan 124/8 | Sunday, Nov. 7 | 5 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Pakistan 189/4 def. Scotland 117/6 | Sunday, Nov. 7 | 9 a.m. | Sharjah |
| India 136/1 def. Namibia 132/8 | Monday, Nov. 8 | 9 a.m. | Dubai |
Finals
| Match | Date | Time (ET) | Venue |
| Semifinal 1 — England v. New Zealand | Wednesday, Nov. 10 | 9 a.m. | Abu Dhabi |
| Semifinal 2 — Pakistan v. Australia | Thursday, Nov. 10 | 9 a.m. | Dubai |
| Final | Sunday, Nov. 14 | 9 a.m. | Dubai |