Ireland to face Italy in Dubai ahead of 2026 T20 World Cup

DUBAI: Ireland will take on Italy in a three-match T20I series in Dubai as both teams ramp up their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka. 

The series will serve as a crucial opportunity for both sides to fine-tune their combinations ahead of the global event.

The tour will be historic for Italy, marking their first-ever three-match bilateral series against an ICC Full Member. All fixtures will be played at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, with the opening match set for January 23.

Ireland and Italy have met only once before in T20Is — during the 2023 qualifiers for the 2024 T20 World Cup — a contest Ireland won by seven runs. With their maiden World Cup appearance coming up, Italy will aim to gain valuable experience from this series.

For Ireland, the matches form part of a broader preparation plan. After the Italy series, they will also play two T20Is against UAE beginning January 29.

Richard Holdsworth, Director of Cricket at Cricket Ireland, welcomed the opportunity to compete in Dubai.

“We’re delighted that the Italian Cricket Federation has agreed to this series in Dubai. It is important that our squad plays some competitive cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup and these three matches will be ideal for us as we acclimatise to hot conditions, having come straight from the Irish winter.

“The Italians did very well to beat Scotland and qualify for their first-ever world cup, and we expect this series to be a hard-fought affair.”

Maria Lorena Haz Paz, President of Federazione Cricket Italiana, expressed her excitement over the landmark series and its significance for Italian cricket.

“From the moment that Italy Men defeated Scotland then went on to progress through the World Cup Qualifier for the first time in our history, we have turned our attention to creating the best possible preparation programme for our players ahead of the tournament in February.

“We were extremely pleased that Cricket Ireland was so amenable to working with us on pulling together this series – a series in itself will be historic given it will be our first three-match bilateral series against a Full Member of the ICC.

“We look forward to the fixtures as we create history and, we hope, raise the profile and support for our cricket team across Italy – and maybe even win a few fans around the world.”