ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Tournament Shatters Viewership Record, Becomes Most-Watched Edition In India

The ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 has become the most-watched edition in the tournament's history, going past massive viewership milestone in India. The record-breaking numbers were confirmed by International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah in a social media post on Wednesday.

According to Shah, the tournament has surpassed 500 million viewers in India alone, making it the most-watched edition in the history of the tournament.

The tournament was deemed the most global and accessible, with significant viewership growth driven by high-stakes matches and digital consumption, goals the ICC set out to achieve before the start of the tournament.

An elated Shah posted on his 'X' handle, "The journey of the @ICC #T20WorldCup 2026 began with the ambition to make it the most #global & #accessible Cricket event ever. I am humbled that viewership for the event in India has crossed 500 million, the highest ever for any T20 World Cup in history.

“It was also heartening to see concurrent viewers @JioHotstar hit a peak of 60.5 million. With Knock-out matches for the tournament starting tonight, we hope that the immeasurable love our events receive from Indian fans helps break more records,” he added.

The two semi-finals and the final of the tournament are yet to played, but it has already crossed the figures recorded in the last edition of the event in the Americas in 2024.

These figures follow the massive success of the 2025 Champions Trophy, which had previously broken records with 250 billion minutes of watch-time and a 122 million peak on TV.

Who Will Play In The Final?

South Africa take on New Zealand in the first semi-final on March 4, Wednesday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The second semi-final sees India take on England at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. The winner of the two semi-finals will play in the final of the T20 WC on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.