Afghanistan and UAE face off in a crucial Group D clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with both sides desperate for points to stay alive in the tournament. This 28th match, set for February 16, 2026, at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, could define their Super 8 hopes amid tight standings.
The official fixture is Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates, 28th Match, Group D, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. It kicks off at 3:00 PM local time (7:30 PM IST) on Monday, February 16. Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi hosts the game, a venue known for high-scoring T20 thrillers.
Arun Jaitley Stadium’s pitch favors batsmen once settled, offering early help to seamers with moisture and swing before turning flat—average first innings score around 187 in recent T20s, with chasing wins at 60%. Dew could factor in later, pushing captains to bowl first. Weather looks ideal: clear skies, temperatures 26-31°C daytime rising to hazy warmth around 29°C by match time, light winds at 7-12 km/h, 0% rain chance for a full game.
With South Africa and New Zealand ahead on three wins each, UAE sit third on two wins while Afghanistan languish fourth on zero after losses to New Zealand and a double Super Over heartbreak against South Africa. A win catapults the victor into semi contention; defeat nearly ends it. For UAE, it’s about building on their narrow Canada scalp after a 10-wicket New Zealand drubbing. Afghanistan crave their first victory to ignite Rashid Khan’s squad.
AFG vs UAE Match Details
- Match: Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates, 28th Match
- Teams: AFG vs UAE
- Date: 16 Feb 2026
- Time: 10:30 AM 5:30 AM GMT / 11:00 AM LOCAL
- Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi,
T20 World 2026 Live Streaming Info
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off on February 7, 2026, and wraps up with the final on March 8, 2026. Hosted across India and Sri Lanka with 20 teams, it spans about a month—group stages from early February, Super 8s mid-month, semis late February/early March, and the final in Colombo or Mumbai.
- In India, tune into Star Sports Network (Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2) or stream on Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema.
- Pakistan viewers can watch on PTV Sports, A Sports, or Ten Sports, with streaming available on Tapmad and Tamasha.
- For Sri Lanka, options include SLRC, Channel Eye, and Siyatha TV on TV, plus Sri Lanka Cricket YouTube and Dialog ViU online.
- UK fans have Sky Sports Cricket, TNT Sports 1, and talkSPORT on television, alongside Sky Go, Discovery+, and NOW TV for streaming.
- In South Africa, SuperSport covers it on TV and via their app.
- Australia might check Fox Sports for TV and Kayo Sports for live streams.
- USA and Canada: Willow TV on TV, Sling TV or Willow HD app for streaming.
- New Zealand: Sky Sport NZ on TV and Sky Go app.
- Bangladesh: Gazi TV (GTV) and Rabith BD app.
- Afghanistan: RTA Sport and Ariana TV.
Rest of the world: ICC.tv for free streaming where no local rights holder exists. Subscriptions often apply, and VPNs can assist with geo-blocks where permitted.
How to Watch the Match for Free:
Catch every boundary without paying via these official free options, perfect for fans in Pakistan and beyond.
Pakistan: PTV Sports broadcasts all matches live for free on TV via terrestrial, cable, and satellite—no subscription needed.
Live Streaming Info:
The 28th T20 World Cup match will be live on Willow Cricket.
Live Score Info:
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: All matches on ESPN and Cricbuzz have live scores.
Probable XIs
Afghanistan’s campaign sputters: outplayed by New Zealand, then edged in a super thriller by South Africa despite fightback grit. Their spin-heavy attack struggled on pace-friendly tracks, but batting showed glimpses. UAE mirror the ups and downs—routed by New Zealand but clawed a tight Canada win, showcasing resilience. Recent bilateral T20Is saw Afghanistan dominate UAE in 2025 UAE Tri-Series, winning four of five.
Head-to-Head
Afghanistan lead 11-3 in 14 T20Is against UAE, with no ties. They’ve won the last three outright. Last five meetings: Afghanistan by 4 runs (Sep 5, 2025, Sharjah), 38 runs (Sep 1, 2025), UAE by 11 runs (Dec 31, 2023), Afghanistan by 72 runs (Dec 29, 2023), and 6 wickets (Feb 19, 2023). Afghanistan’s highest 203 trumps UAE’s 179; they’ve chased big totals effectively.
Afghanistan Analysis
Strengths lie in world-class spin—Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad—and allrounders like Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi for middle-order muscle. Rahmanullah Gurbaz explodes at the top, Ibrahim Zadran anchors. Weaknesses? Top-order fragility on seaming tracks and pace vulnerability exposed lately. Recent shows mixed: solid DLS win over Bangladesh pre-tourney, but WC flops. Key men: Rashid (capt, wickets), Gurbaz (runs), Nabi (experience).
UAE Analysis
UAE punch above via explosive openers Muhammad Waseem (capt) and Alishan Sharafu, plus bowlers like Haider Ali (3/20 in qualifiers). Strengths: fightback ability, as vs Canada; depth in qualifiers. Weaknesses: inconsistency against top spin, batting collapses under pressure—10-wicket NZ loss hurts. Recent: beat Kuwait by 11 runs, chased vs Bahrain. Keys: Waseem (leadership, batting), Sharafu (firepower), Junaid Siddique (pace).
Probable XIs
Afghanistan Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
UAE Probable XI: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Simranjeet Singh.
Rashid vs Waseem duel headlines—Afghan spin could exploit UAE middle-order. Dew at Arun Jaitley might flip toss to bowl; Afghanistan’s H2H edge (11-3) looms large. UAE’s qualifier momentum vs Afghanistan’s desperation. Gurbaz’s form (two games strong) vs UAE openers’ firepower. Nabi’s finishing savvy.
Afghanistan’s superior squad depth, spin mastery, and H2H dominance (11-3) tilt it their way on a batsman-friendly Delhi deck suiting their allrounders. Expect Afghan win by 20-30 runs or 6 wickets, finally breaking their WC duck. UAE need heroics, but form and history favor Rashid’s men.