Afghanistan and Bangladesh Likely to Play Three T20Is in UAE This October Ahead of Busy 2026 World Cup Build-Up

Afghanistan and Bangladesh are in advanced discussions to play a three-match T20I series in the UAE this October, likely to take place after the conclusion of the 2025 Asia Cup and before Bangladesh host West Indies for a white-ball series in the third week of the same month. While official dates have not yet been finalized, sources indicate the series could act as a key preparatory phase for both sides ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

This prospective series would represent the completion of the T20I leg of an originally planned all-format tour in July 2024, which was to include two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. That tour was first reduced to white-ball fixtures and then postponed altogether due to scheduling clashes and concerns over monsoon conditions in Greater Noida, India, the intended host location.

Afghanistan and Bangladesh did manage to play the ODI portion of the series in November 2024, with Afghanistan winning the three-match series 2–1. Talks are still ongoing between the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to reschedule the two-Test series, potentially for some time in 2026.

If confirmed, the October T20Is will not only offer Bangladesh much-needed game time before the global tournament but will also help Afghanistan maintain continuity in a packed schedule. Following the Asia Cup, Afghanistan are slated to tour Zimbabwe, then play T20I series against both West Indies and New Zealand in the lead-up to the World Cup.

This upcoming T20I series would also be the first meeting between the two sides in the format since their dramatic clash at the 2024 T20 World Cup in Kingstown, where Afghanistan secured a memorable win that propelled them into their first-ever semi-final appearance at a World Cup.