South Africa could be forced to trim their upcoming five-match T20 International home series against the West Indies to ensure both teams arrive in time for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, set to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

The series is currently scheduled from January 27 to February 6, placing the final two matches uncomfortably close to the World Cup’s start. Warm-up games for the tournament begin as early as January 31, with teams expected to arrive in the host countries by then.

Although it’s not mandatory to use the entire ICC-designated pre-tournament support period, participating nations had to inform the ICC by September 5 how many warm-up matches—ranging from zero to two—they intend to play. Teams opting for two warm-up matches must arrive at least a week before the tournament opener.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) is in talks with Cricket West Indies (CWI) to determine their World Cup arrival date and how many warm-up matches they plan to play. Even if the West Indies choose not to play any, CSA will still need to cancel at least two of the scheduled five matches due to the tight timeline, as the final games on February 3 and 6 cannot be rescheduled earlier.

CSA is also in the process of finalizing venues for the home series, with Paarl, Newlands (Cape Town), Buffalo Park (East London), Centurion, and Johannesburg among the likely hosts.