England to tour Sri Lanka for white-ball series before T20 World Cup 2026

As part of their preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which is scheduled for later in the year, the England men’s cricket team, captained by Harry Brook, will embark on a white-ball trip of Sri Lanka in early 2026.

A three-match One-Day International (ODI) series will be part of the trip, starting on Thursday, January 22 and ending on Tuesday. A three-match T20 International (T20I) series will take place after the ODIs, beginning on Friday, January 30 and ending on Tuesday, February 3. The locations for the tour have not yet been confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

As a crucial prelude to the T20 World Cup, which India and Sri Lanka will co-host, the T20I series is very important for England. England, who won the competition in 2010 and 2022, lost to India in the semi-finals of the previous tournament. For their historic third victory, the Three Lions would like to make it matter this time.

The last time the Englishmen visited the island nation was in January 2021, when they won a two-Test series 2-0. In September 2026, Sri Lanka will tour for three ODIs and three T20Is, marking the two teams’ next encounter on English soil.

The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 matchup between the Three Lions and India concluded in an exciting 2-2 draw. Their next test, which will include both T20I and ODI series, will be against South Africa in September 2025. The Proteas, who are presently on tour in Australia, started their ODI campaign with a victory despite losing their T20I series 1-2.

Sri Lanka is preparing for the Asia Cup 2025, which starts in the United Arab Emirates on September 9 and ends on September 28. On September 13, they will open their campaign against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi. While teams like India and Pakistan have already announced their lineup, the continental tournament squad release is still pending.

Schedule for England’s 2026 visit of Sri Lanka