Afghanistan, who managed a historic semi-final finish in the 2024 T20 World Cup, have announced Rashid Khan as their captain as they announced their side for the 2026 edition of the tournament. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib, both of whom were not included in the Afghanistan squad for their white-ball tour of Bangladesh in October. Naveen-ul-Haq returns to the squad as well after a shoulder injury ruled him out of the Asia Cup in September, as does spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. The squad is the same for their upcoming series against the West Indies, whom they host in the UAE. The three fixtures will be played on January 19, 21 and 22. Afghanistan’s run to the semi-final of the 2024 edition was among the standout stories of the tournament. On the way, they beat much higher rated oppositions in New Zealand, West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh. In the semi-final, though, they were shredded apart by South Africa, being blown away for a paltry score of 56 with Marco Jansen and Tabraiz Shamsi taking three wickets each. South Africa chased the target down in 8.5 overs and went through to the final, where they dramatically lost to India. Afghanistan Squad for the West Indies Series and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: Rashid Khan (Captain), Ibrahim Zadran (VC), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Shahidullah Kamal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq, Fazal Haq Farooqi and Abdullah Ahmadzai. .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures{font-family:”Roboto”,sans-serif;margin-bottom:25px;padding-left:0;padding-right:0;max-width:640px;background:#fff;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__header{background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0f766e 0%,#14b8a6 100%);padding:20px;text-align:center;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__title{font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#fff;line-height:1.4;opacity:1;margin:0;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:0;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-header{background:#f0fdfa;border-bottom:2px solid #0f766e;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-header-cell{padding:15px 12px;text-align:left;font-size:13px;font-weight:700;color:#0f766e;opacity:1;border-right:1px solid #ccfbf1;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-header-cell:last-child{border-right:none;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-row{border-bottom:1px solid #e5e7eb;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-row:last-child{border-bottom:none;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-row:nth-child(even){background:#f9fafb;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-cell{padding:15px 12px;font-size:13px;line-height:1.5;color:#1f2937;opacity:1;border-right:1px solid #e5e7eb;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-cell:last-child{border-right:none;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__date{font-weight:600;color:#0f766e;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__opponent{font-weight:600;color:#1f2937;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__venue{color:#4b5563;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__branding{background:#3C4557;color:#fff;padding:12px 20px;text-align:center;font-size:13px;opacity:1;} @media (max-width:480px){ .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures{max-width:480px;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__title{font-size:16px;padding:15px 10px;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__header{padding:15px 10px;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-header-cell{padding:12px 8px;font-size:12px;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-cell{padding:12px 8px;font-size:12px;} } @media (max-width:360px){ .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__title{font-size:15px;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-header-cell{padding:10px 6px;font-size:11px;} .infographic-afghanistan-fixtures__table-cell{padding:10px 6px;font-size:11px;} } Afghanistan’s 2026 T20 World Cup group stage schedule Date Opponent Venue Sunday, Feb 8 vs New Zealand Chennai Wednesday, Feb 11 vs South Africa Ahmedabad Monday, Feb 16 vs United Arab Emirates Delhi Thursday, Feb 19 vs Canada Chennai Afghanistan are the fifth squad to name their squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, after India, Sri Lanka, Oman and England. Out of these, they are only the third to name their final squad, with the rest naming preliminary squads. Afghanistan are placed in Group D along with Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UAE. Their first match is Chennai against New Zealand on February 8. The tournament itself starts on February 7 with Pakistan facing the Netherlands in Colombo, West Indies playing Bangladesh in Kolkata and hosts India facing the USA in Mumbai.
Rashid Khan named captain as Afghanistan announce squad for 2026 T20 World Cup
