ICC has named Scotland to replace Bangladesh for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially replaced Bangladesh in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup with Scotland following Bangladesh's decision not to travel to India due to security reasons.

Scotland will now compete in Group C with Italy, Nepal, West Indies and England.

This situation remained until early January 2026 when the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested the ICC to move their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka citing player safety concerns after KKR released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad under BCCI directives.

The ICC refused the request, prompting Bangladesh to send a second letter, again insisting that their team would not play in India.

Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nasrul confirmed the decision, explaining that the government prioritized the safety of the players.

"The security situation in India remains intact. Our concern was triggered by an actual incident. The Indian board, under pressure, could not provide adequate security to one of our cricketers," he said.

Banka Cricket Board president Aminul Islam echoed the stance, saying, "We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka. They gave us a 24-hour ultimatum but the decision not to go to India was taken at the government level."

Although the players were consulted, the final decision rested with the board and the government.

Bangladesh were scheduled to play their first three Group C matches in Kolkata against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9) and England (February 14), before concluding against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.

The ICC has now confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the tournament as no consensus has been reached.

The 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place from February 7 to March 8, with matches between India and Sri Lanka.

This marks a historic moment for Scotland as they enter a major ICC tournament at short notice.