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Kathmandu: Nepal will take on reigning world champions England in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup today. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on Sunday with Nepal facing England at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium. The match is scheduled to start at 3:15 PM (local time).

All of Nepal’s World Cup matches will be played at the Wankhede Stadium.

Nepal first qualified for the T20 World Cup in 2014, when the tournament was hosted by Bangladesh. It took the team 10 years to return to the World Cup stage. In the 2024 edition, Nepal impressed the cricketing world with strong performances against South Africa and Bangladesh, including a narrow one-run defeat to South Africa.

Despite appearing in the World Cup twice before, Nepal have not progressed beyond the group stage. The team is once again led by captain Rohit Kumar Paudel. Sompal Kami has made history by becoming the first Nepali cricketer to feature in three T20 World Cups.

Nepal begin their 2026 campaign against England and are placed in Group C alongside two-time champions West Indies, former champions England, Scotland, and Italy. Scotland earned qualification based on ICC rankings after Bangladesh declined to play the World Cup in India.

Nepal’s squad for the tournament includes Rohit Kumar Paudel (captain), Dipendra Singh Airee (vice-captain), Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Asif Sheikh, Sandeep Jora, Aarif Sheikh, Basir Ahmad, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sher Malla, and Lokesh Bam.

Today’s match will be historic, as Nepal are set to play their first-ever T20 International against England.