T20 World Cup 2024: How are the teams grouped in the league stage?

The biggest cricketing event of the summer is set to commence in the United States and the Caribbean in the form of 9^th edition of the ICC T20 World Cup. Cricket fans across the globe are eagerly await the tournament and the opening game on June 1 will take place between the game’s oldest rivals USA and Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas.

20 teams will be vying for the coveted title, and they are segregated into 4 groups with five teams clubbed together in one group. In what promises to be a cracker of a June, the league stage will see each team in a group face off against rest of their group members. So, a team will have to play four games on the league phase. 

Here is a quick look at each of the four groups.

Group A: India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, USA

The major highlight of this group is the presence of arch-rivals India & Pakistan, and the much-awaited contest will happen at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. 

The two former T20 World champions are clubbed with the likes of Ireland, who are known to upset big teams in major tournaments, co-hosts USA and their neighbours Canada.

Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman

Group B will see yet another traditional cricketing rivalry ignited with former champions Australia and the defending champions England being in the same group. These sides will play against each other on the 8^th of June at Kensington Oval, Barbados.

The other teams in the fray are Namibia, Scotland, and Oman and these sides have shown tremendous progress in the recent years in this format.

Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Uganda, Papua New Guinea

The first of the two “group of deaths” as it encompasses teams like New Zealand, co-hosts West Indies and Afghanistan in the same group. This will prove to be a tough 3-way race between the sides, given their history in the format. While Windies are a former 2-time champs, New Zealand always punch above their weights in ICC tournaments and Afghanistan is ever improving team in the cricketing world.

Emerging sides like Uganda and PNG will complete the Group C.

Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Nepal

Group D is arguably the most unpredictable one as it has some of the diverse sides. Asian rivals Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are strong in this format as is South Africa. Netherlands have history of beating top sides and they have beaten SA and Bangladesh in the past.

With Nepal also improving steadily, the contests arising from this group could prove to be mouth-watering. 

Top 2 sides from each of the group will progress to the next stage, ie the Super 8 phase of the World Cup.

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