Photo: Collected
Canada’s Global T20 will be held not on Canadian soil but in the Caribbean islands this time. The 2026 tournament will take place in St Vincent and Grenada in the coming October-November. After one season, the franchise league will return to Canada in 2027.
Through this event, the cricket boards of the two countries want to further deepen the cricketing relationship between Canada and the West Indies. Alongside this, emerging cricketers of Canada and North America will get the opportunity to play on a big stage.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has said Canada’s emerging cricketers will this time play alongside established stars of Caribbean and international cricket. On the other hand, Caribbean cricketers will also get the chance to know Canada’s cricket structure more closely.
CWI chief executive Chris Dehring said strengthening the West Indies’ relations with the associate member countries of this region is important for the development of cricket. In his view, hosting the 2026 Global T20 in the Caribbean is the beginning of that partnership.
Cricket Canada president Arvinder Khosa also does not see the matter as merely a change of venue for one season. He said, ‘Global T20 is essentially a Canadian tournament. But for the 2026 edition, the Caribbean is our special home.’
Four editions of the Global T20, which began its journey in 2018, have been played so far. The 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The tournament was not held in 2025 either.
The league went through a restructuring after Cricket Canada gave a long-term licence to National Cricket League (NCL) Canada last year.
That restructuring has also affected the number of teams in 2026. Five teams will play this time instead of six. Changes are also coming to the names of the franchises.
In the most recent edition in 2024, Toronto Nationals became champions by beating Montreal Tigers in the final. That time, two Bangladesh cricketers, Shakib Al Hasan and Shoriful Islam, played for Bangla Tigers Mississauga.
