2026 ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals kickoff: Four Teams, Two Spots, One Dream
South Africa vs. New Zealand: Battle for chance at first World Cup crown
The semi-finals of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup get underway this afternoon, with South Africa taking on New Zealand at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The winner will progress to the final to face India or England on Sunday, March 8, in Ahmedabad.
This is the second time that these two teams will face each other in this tournament, with the Proteas coming out as the winners of the previous clash by seven wickets on February 14. Our experts are leaning toward the African nation to get the result, according to our South Africa vs New Zealand prediction.
South Africa have largely defied expectations this year, as they are the only team in the competition with a perfect record, having beaten all of Afghanistan, the UAE, Canada, the Black Caps, India, the West Indies and Zimbabwe in their seven matches to date.
New Zealand have notched up victories over the UAE, Canada, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Their only loss in the group stage was against this opponent, while in the Super 8, their first match versus Pakistan was abandoned before they lost to England in their final fixture.
The Proteas were beaten finalists back in 2024 and have a bit of a history of falling at latter stages of tournaments, but they have the edge in this fixture, having now won six of their last 10 T20Is against the Black Caps following that impressive one last month.
Still, the Kiwis cannot be counted out just yet, as they have a knack for finding big performances when they matter most, as they did against Sri Lanka in the Super 8. They also have the services of an in-form Tim Seifert, who is ranked inside the top-10 T20I batsmen by the ICC.
India vs. England: Aiming to become most successful nation in T20 WC history
Since the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, only three teams - India, England and the West Indies - have won the title in the shortest format of the game more than once, with each lifting the coveted trophy twice.
This year, then, provides the Men in Blue and the Poms the opportunity to become the most successful nation in the competition's history, but most would agree that neither of them have been performing at their very best in this tournament so far.
India survived two massive scares in the group stage against the US and the Netherlands before being blown away in the Super 8 by South Africa. England, meanwhile, lost to the West Indies in the group stage, a side that India edged in a close contest last week.
As discussed in our India vs England prediction, our experts are expecting this to be another close match, where moments of individual brilliance (or error) could decide the outcome.
Still, despite losing a match apiece in this competition, both teams have very impressive records in the shortest format of late, with India having only lost one of their last 10 T20Is, while England have tasted defeat once in their last 14 matches.
