The 2026 T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with the teams already entering their final stages of preparation. Ireland, who have been placed in Group B alongside Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Oman, will start their campaign in Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the UAE is grouped with South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Canada.
Ireland will arrive in the UAE at the end of January and will play two T20Is at the Dubai International Stadium. The first match is scheduled for January 29, followed by the second and final match on January 31. Richard Holdsworth, Director of Cricket at Cricket Ireland, thanked the Emirates Cricket Board for hosting the matches. He explained the significance of the series as part of Ireland’s warm-up plan. Holdsworth noted that more preliminary matches are expected to be announced soon, giving the team a strong build-up heading into the mega event.
“We are delighted that the Emirates Cricket Board has agreed to host and play two T20Is against Ireland at the Dubai International Stadium. This series against the UAE will be part of an exceptional warm-up program for our players – we hope to announce more matches soon. Our thanks to the ECB and we look forward to playing competitive cricket in such a prestigious stadium,” said Richard Holdsworth.
The UAE will also benefit from the series. Historically, they have the edge over Ireland in T20Is, having won seven of their 11 previous encounters. Playing at their home venue, especially in a world-class facility like the Dubai International Stadium, will give them the ideal platform to fine-tune their squad before heading to India for the tournament. Their opening World Cup match will be against New Zealand in Chennai, followed by matches against Canada, Afghanistan and South Africa in Delhi. Ireland recently recorded a win against Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series to record their first T20I win in 14 months.
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