The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is set to start on October 16 next year in Australia with the final scheduled to take place on November 13 at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). 

The tournament will feature a total of 45 matches across seven host cities - Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. 

Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and Adelaide Oval will host the two semi-finals on November 9 and 10 respectively. 

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 champions Australia, runners-up New Zealand alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa have earned direct qualification for the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 after finishing among the eight highest-ranked T20I teams as on ICC’s cut-off date of November 15. 

Two-time T20 World Cup champions West Indies alongside Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka will play in Round 1. The four remaining spots for the Round 1 matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be filled via the ongoing qualification pathway that will culminate in two global qualifying tournaments, one at Oman in February and the other in Zimbabwe in June-July next year. The top four teams from Round 1 - two from each group - will advance to the Super 12 stage. 

“We are looking forward to seeing the return of ICC events to Australia and are delighted to announce the seven host cities for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. Following the success of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020 and a two-year postponement, our sights are now firmly set on planning for the 2022 event in collaboration with the LOC.

“With 12 teams already confirmed in the line-up, we eagerly await the culmination of the qualification process to see which other teams will join them,” Head of Events, Chris Tetley said in an ICC release.

The 20-over World Cup in 2022 will be the first time that Australia will host an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Featured photo: Giuseppe Cacace / AFP