Scotland accepts ICC's invitation to play 2026 T20 World Cup, reacts to surprise opportunity

Scotland have confirmed immediate travel plans to India after replacing Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup 2026. They participated in the last two editions of the marquee event in 2022 and 2024. Cricket Scotland thanked ICC for the opportunity to participate in the 20-team tournament under unique circumstances.

On Friday, Scotland was officially named as Bangladesh's replacement after a decisive ICC meeting held in Dubai, convened by chairman Jay Shah. Bangladesh had earlier informed the ICC of their decision not to participate in the tournament, citing security concerns and claiming that their apprehensions were not adequately addressed.

The ICC gave Bangladesh a security clearance and waited for them to budge. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) maintained its stance, and the ICC had no other choice but to welcome the Scots as replacements.

Scotland emerged as the replacement choice based on ICC rankings, despite not progressing directly through the European qualifiers. Richie Berrington and Co. will take Bangladesh's spot in Group C. They are pitted against the West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal. Scotland will play three games at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and one at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai during the group stage in what is going to be their sixth T20 World Cup appearance.

“Earlier today I received correspondence from the ICC asking if our men’s team would play at the Men’s T20 World Cup, and we have accepted. We are grateful to the ICC for extending this invite. This is an exciting opportunity for Scotland’s players to compete on the global stage in front of millions of supporters. We also acknowledge this opportunity has arisen out of challenging and unique circumstances,” Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade said in a statement published on the board’s official website.

“Our squad have been training for some weeks in preparation for upcoming tours and are now preparing to arrive in India imminently to acclimatise to local conditions, ready to play and contribute to what should be a fantastic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” he added.

In the previous edition, Scotland gave Australia a run for their money and kept England on their toes in the group stage. In the end, England qualified for the Super Eight stage based on a better net run rate compared to Scotland's.