The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday (January 5) revealed the schedule, groups, and venues for the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2024, set to take place in the USA and the West Indies.
The tournament, commencing on June 1, will witness a clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on June 9 in New York. Both teams are part of Group A, along with Ireland, Canada, and co-hosts the USA, in the 20-team event featuring four groups of five teams each.

The tournament will kick off with a match between the USA and Canada on June 1 (Saturday). Interestingly, these two North American neighbours were the participants in the inaugural international match dating back to 1844. On the second day of the competition, Namibia will take on Oman in the first game, while co-hosts West Indies will lock horns with PNG in the second match.
Defending champions England are grouped in B, facing ODI and WTC champions Australia, Namibia, Scotland, and Oman. Group C comprises New Zealand, and co-hosts West Indies, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda.
The final Group D includes South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, and debutants Nepal, promising unpredictability and entertainment.
The group stage matches for India, starting against Ireland, will be held in the USA. If they qualify, India will only travel to the Caribbean for the knockout stage (subject to qualification).
The top two teams from the group stage will qualify for the Super 8 round. From 20 teams, the second round will be pruned to eight teams where they will play three games three games each. The top two teams from each group in the Super 8 stage will progress to the semi-finals. The semi-finals will kick in the knockout stage of the competition.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Group Stage is scheduled from June 1 to 18, with the Super 8 stage from June 19 to 24. The Semi-finals will occur on June 26 and 27, and the grand finale is set for June 29.
A total of 55 matches are scheduled to take place at nine different venues in the West Indies and USA, with matches being held in three American cities - New York City, Dallas, and Miami.
The final is set to be held at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on June 29, while the semi-finals will take place on June 26 and 27 in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively.
Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas, New York's 34,000-seat modular stadium (just 30 miles east of downtown Manhattan in Nassau County), and Lauderhill in Florida will host the T20 World Cup matches on US soil.
Guyana National Stadium will also host the group games along with the other venues in the West Indies i.e. Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Super Eight matches are scheduled to be played in popular Caribbean tourist destinations Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
In a significant change, the new format eliminates the global qualifier and emphasizes regional qualification tournaments. Africa, Asia, and Europe have two qualification spots each, while the Americas and East-Asia Pacific regions have one spot each.
Teams that qualified through these routes include Ireland, Canada, Namibia, Scotland, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and Nepal. Nepal and Uganda will be making their T20 WC debut.
Unlike the previous format, which had a global qualifier followed by a Super 12 stage and knockouts, the new format involves two group stages with 20 teams. The top two teams from each group advance to the Super 8s, where they are divided into two groups of four. The top two from each Super 8 group proceed to the semi-finals.