Ireland and Italy to play 3 T20Is in January ahead of T20WC 2026

New Delhi, Dec 3 Cricket Ireland and the Italian Cricket Federation have jointly confirmed a three-match bilateral T20 International series to be held in Dubai in late January 2026. The series will serve as key preparation for both teams ahead of their campaigns in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Ireland and Italy have met only once before in a T20I, during the 2023 qualifiers in Edinburgh, where Ireland claimed a seven-run victory. The sides also played a non-T20I Twenty20 match in Abu Dhabi in 2012, which Ireland won by two wickets.

The announcement follows Ireland’s recent confirmation of their two T20Is against the UAE, also part of their World Cup build-up. After finishing their preparations in Dubai, Ireland will head to Sri Lanka for the global tournament, where they are placed in Group B alongside Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Oman.

Italy, meanwhile, will travel to India for the World Cup. They will compete in Group C against England, the West Indies, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The UAE will also move to India after completing their fixtures against Ireland, joining Group D with South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Canada.

Richard Holdsworth, Director of Cricket at Cricket Ireland, said, “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. Our thanks to The Sevens Stadium for their support in hosting this series,” he said.

President of the Federazione Cricket Italiana, Maria Lorena Haz Paz, said, “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.”

Ireland vs Italy T20I series:

23 January 2026: Ireland Men v Italy Men – 1st T20I (Sevens Stadium, Dubai; starts 10 am)

25 January 2026: Ireland Men v Italy Men – 2nd T20I (Sevens Stadium, Dubai; starts 10 am)

26 January 2026: Ireland Men v Italy Men – 3rd T20I (Sevens Stadium, Dubai; starts 6 pm)

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