T20 World Cup 2026: Why Scotland replaced Bangladesh; rules explained

In a groundbreaking move on Saturday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially announced Scotland as a replacement team for Bangladesh in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, starting next month. The move came after talks between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over the latter’s demands to shift their match venues for the event from India to Sri Lanka.

Scotland will take Bangladesh’s spot in Group C for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 alongside West Indies, Nepal, England and Italy.

Why was Scotland given Bangladesh’s spot?

The ICC decided to give Scotland the vacant spot after Bangladesh’s refusal to take part in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, as they were the highest rankled team in ICC T20I rankings who were not part of the tournament. Scotland also have good performances to thier name in previous editions as in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Scotland finished third in Group B on the same number of points as England, narrowly missing out on progression due to an inferior net run rate. Their competitive showing continued in earlier editions as well.

At the 2022 T20 World Cup, Scotland recorded a notable group-stage win over West Indies but ended the tournament in third place, falling short of qualification for the Super 12 stage. In the 2021 edition, Scotland produced one of their most memorable performances by defeating Bangladesh in the group stage and topping their group, although they were unable to register a win in the Super 12 round. These sustained performances at the global level played a key role in Scotland being awarded the vacant World Cup berth. 

How do teams book their place in ICC events?

Teams qualify for ICC events based on format-specific criteria laid down by the International Cricket Council, with the process varying slightly from tournament to tournament. Host nations automatically earn direct entry into the event, as seen in tournaments such as the ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup. In addition, several teams qualify based on their ICC rankings at a predetermined cut-off date, with higher-ranked sides gaining automatic qualification and avoiding the need to play qualifiers. This method is commonly used for major events such as the ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup.

Qualification is also influenced by performance in the previous edition of the tournament, where teams reaching certain stages — such as the top eight or the semi-finals — are often granted direct entry into the next event. For instance, the top eight teams from the previous T20 World Cup usually secure automatic qualification for the following edition. The remaining slots are filled through ICC-organised continental or regional qualification tournaments, involving teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the East Asia-Pacific region, with the top performers from each region advancing to the global tournament.

Why Bangladesh opted out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Bangladesh decided not to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after a prolonged dispute with the ICC over playing their scheduled group-stage matches in India. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), backed by government advisers, repeatedly raised security and safety concerns about travelling to and playing in India, and formally requested that their matches be shifted out of India.

The ICC rejected the request to change venues, maintaining that independent security assessments showed no credible threat and that it was not feasible to alter the tournament schedule so close to the start date. Bangladesh’s leadership, including the national sports adviser, described the ICC’s conditions as unacceptable and unreasonable, saying they could not send the team to India under the circumstances and insisting security risks remained.

With talks failing to resolve the impasse and Bangladesh firmly refusing to travel to India, the ICC moved forward with plans to replace them in the competition — leading to Scotland being named as their replacement for the 2026 T20 World Cup.