ICC Faces $250 Million Loss if India vs Pakistan Match is Cancelled in T20 World Cup 2026

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is facing a problem. The Pakistan government’s decision to not play against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 could cause big financial losses for the ICC. Due to the strained relationship between India and Pakistan, the two arch-rivals only meet in multi-nation events.

Namely, the ICC events: T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, and Champions Trophy. And the ACC events: all forms of the Asia Cup. The scarcity of India vs Pakistan matches creates a huge demand for the clashes.

ICC at Risk of Losing $250 Million Over India-Pakistan Game

Broadcasters are willing to pay massive sums of money for ICC events, on the precondition that India and Pakistan meet. That’s why the two teams are often placed in the same group at ICC events. According to The Age, the TV rights for men’s ICC tournaments from 2023 to 2027 are worth about US$3 billion (around ₹27,465 crore). More than 40% of this money comes from India vs Pakistan matches, showing how valuable those games are.

Over the last three years, the two teams have faced each other in every ICC tournament, the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Each of these matches was worth about $250 million (around INR 2,289 crore). If the upcoming India vs Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup 2026 doesn’t go ahead as planned, the ICC is expected to lose a quarter of a billion dollars.

The rights holder, JioStar, will suffer losses and would, in turn, ask ICC to either pay them or reduce the value for the cycle. If that happens, not only will the revenue for all cricket nations decrease, but the ICC could sanction the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by withholding their earnings from the T20 World Cup 2026.

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