Ireland tour of United Arab Emirates 2026

UAE will host Ireland for a two-match T20I series in January 2026. The series will help both teams prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which will be played in India and Sri Lanka from 7 February 2026 to 8 March 2026. Both matches will be staged at the Dubai International Stadium. The first match of the series will be played on Thursday, 29 January with the first ball to be bowled at 6:00pm local time.

The second match of the series will be played on Saturday, 31 January with the first ball to bowled at 10:00am local time.

Chief Operating Officer Emirates Cricket Board Subhan Ahmad: We are delighted to announce Ireland’s tour to the UAE. The tour will benefit both teams and help them in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 preparations.

Here at the ECB, we have always endeavoured to provide the best exposure and opportunities to our players by hosting ICC Full Members on a regular basis. In 2025 we hosted Bangladesh followed by a tri-series in Sharjah [Afghanistan and Pakistan]. Our team also earned great experience by competing in the Asia Cup. The players will have a good build-up to the prestigious ICC T20 World Cup through the Ireland series.

Director of Cricket at Cricket Ireland Richard Holdsworth: 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. Our thanks to the ECB and we look forward to playing some competitive cricket in such a prestigious stadium.