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Ireland gear up for World Cup 2026 action; set to tour UAE for T20I series in January

Rajgeeta Yadav

Ireland set to tour UAE [Source: @cricketworldcup/X.com]Ireland set to tour UAE [Source: @cricketworldcup/X.com]

Ireland’s team will make a quick stop in the UAE before heading to the T20 World Cup 2026, Cricket Ireland and the Emirates Cricket Board announced on Friday (November 28). The teams will play a short warm-up series of two T20 matches in Dubai to get ready for the main tournament, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Ireland will face UAE in Dubai T20 warm-up

Ireland are set to arrive in the UAE in late January. They will face the UAE in the first T20I match on January 29, followed by a second match two days later. Both games will be held at the Dubai International Stadium.

After finishing their UAE series, Ireland will fly to Sri Lanka to play all four of their group-stage matches. Ireland is in Group B, alongside hosts Sri Lanka, 2021 champions Australia, Zimbabwe, and Oman. Their T20 World Cup campaign will begin on February 8 against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Notably, the UAE team will also gain from these matches. They have a strong record against Ireland in T20 cricket, winning seven of their previous 11 encounters.

Playing at home in Dubai will give them a chance to fine-tune their squad before heading to India, where they will play their first World Cup game against New Zealand in Chennai, followed by matches against Canada, Afghanistan, and South Africa in Delhi.

Cricket Ireland’s Director calls Dubai matches important

Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s Director of Cricket, said the warm-up games in Dubai are an important part of the team’s preparation. 

"We are delighted that the Emirates Cricket Board has agreed to host and play two T20Is against Ireland at Dubai International Stadium. This series against the UAE will provide part of an exceptional warm-up programme for our players - we hope to announce more fixtures shortly. Our thanks to the ECB, and we look forward to playing some competitive cricket in such a prestigious stadium," he said.

Notably, Ireland come into the series with confidence after a recent T20I win against Bangladesh, their first in 14 months. Both sides will look to use the Dubai series to build momentum and sharpen their teams before the T20 World Cup kicks off in India and Sri Lanka.