The International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally announced that Bangladesh will no longer participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, confirming Scotland as their replacement in the global tournament.
In an official statement released on Saturday, the ICC said the decision followed Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) refusal to compete according to the published match schedule. As a result, Scotland have been drafted into Group C, where they will join England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies.
The development comes after the BCB requested that its scheduled matches in India be shifted to Sri Lanka, the co-host nation for the tournament, which is set to begin on February 7, 2026. The ICC rejected this request, citing the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India.
According to the ICC, extensive efforts were made to address BCB’s concerns. These included multiple rounds of dialogue over more than three weeks, conducted through video conferences and in-person meetings. The ICC also commissioned independent security assessments from both internal and external experts.
“The decision follows an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India,” the ICC said in its statement.
The governing body added that detailed security and operational plans were shared with the BCB, covering federal and state-level arrangements as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.
Following the assessments, the ICC concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to Bangladesh players, officials or supporters in India. Consequently, the ICC determined that amending the published tournament schedule was not appropriate.
After a meeting held earlier this week, the BCB was given a 24-hour deadline to confirm its participation under the existing schedule. As no confirmation was received within the stipulated timeframe, the ICC proceeded under its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.
Scotland were selected as they are the next-highest ranked T20I side that narrowly missed out on qualification. Currently ranked 14th in T20Is, Scotland sit ahead of several other teams, including Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman and Italy.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will now move forward with Scotland completing the lineup, ensuring the tournament remains on schedule as planned.