The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Scotland will take Bangladesh's place in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declined to participate under the tournament's official match schedule.
The ICC said the decision was made after Bangladesh refused to play its fixtures as planned in India, insisting that its matches be shifted to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC rejected that request, stating there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team in India. The 20-team tournament is scheduled to be held from 7 February to 8 March.
According to the ICC, the issue was handled through an extended process lasting more than three weeks, during which it held several rounds of discussions with the BCB. These consultations took place through both video conferences and in-person meetings, which the ICC described as transparent and constructive.
During that period, the ICC reviewed the concerns raised by Bangladesh, arranged independent security assessments using both internal and external experts, and provided the BCB with detailed information on the event’s security planning. This included operational arrangements at both federal and state levels, along with enhanced and escalating security protocols that would be in place during the tournament. The ICC said these assurances were repeated multiple times, including during discussions with the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.
After evaluating all assessments, the ICC concluded that there was no proven security risk for Bangladesh’s players, officials, or supporters in India. As a result, the governing body decided the published schedule should remain unchanged, citing the importance of protecting the tournament’s integrity and avoiding precedents that could impact the neutrality and fairness of ICC events.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, the IBC Board asked the BCB to confirm within 24 hours whether Bangladesh would participate as scheduled. The ICC said no confirmation was received within the set timeframe, leading it to move forward with its replacement process under established governance and qualification rules.
Scotland, the ICC confirmed, have been selected as the replacement side as they are the highest-ranked T20I team that did not originally qualify. Scotland are currently ranked 14th in T20Is, placed ahead of seven teams already in the tournament — Namibia, UAE, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman and Italy.
The ICC also noted that the official media release detailing the IBC Board’s decision from Wednesday has been made available separately.
