Match officials named for T20 World Cup 2026 group stage
The International Cricket Council has confirmed the match official appointments for the group stage of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, beginning February 7.
In total, 24 officials will serve as on-field umpires while six officials will serve as the match referees during the group stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, with plenty of experience among those appointed. Officials for the Super Eight and knockout stages will be announced in due course.
Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights will stand as the on-field umpires for the opening match between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo. The fixture will mark Knights’ first appearance at an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, while Dharmasena continues to build on his extensive tournament experience.
A member of Sri Lanka’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup-winning side in 1996, Dharmasena has officiated in 37 matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, including the finals in 2016 and 2022, placing him fourth on the all-time list for matches officiated in the competition.
Knights, meanwhile, will reach a significant milestone during the Group A clash, officiating his 50th T20 International as an on-field umpire.
On the opening day in Kolkata, Nitin Menon and Sam Nogajski will take charge during the Group C encounter between Scotland and the West Indies. Menon was part of the on-field umpiring team for the first semi-final of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup between Afghanistan and South Africa, while Nogajski officiated four group matches at the previous edition, including India’s fixture against the USA.
India and USA will meet later on 7 February in Mumbai, with Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker appointed as the on-field umpires.
Tucker leads the way among officials for matches officiated at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with 46 appearances to date, and is set to bring up his half-century during the tournament. The Australian will also officiate matches including England versus Nepal, India against Namibia, and South Africa versus the United Arab Emirates.
Each group for the Men's T20 World Cup 2026
All four groups have been announced for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth, who officiated together in the 2024 final, will reunite for the Group B clash between Australia and Ireland on 11 February. Illingworth will also be on-field, alongside Dharmasena, for the crunch group-stage match between India and Pakistan in Colombo on 15 February.
Match Officials at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
Match Referees:
Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, Javagal Srinath.
Umpires:
Roland Black, Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Wayne Knights, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddien Paleker, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Gazi Sohel, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Raveendra Wimalasiri, Asif Yaqoob.