The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka is fast approaching and Ireland and Italy will be looking to get much-needed game time in the middle with the upcoming three match series beginning on 23 January as both prepare for the marquee tournament.

Fixtures:

The Sevens Stadium in Dubai will host the three match series

23 January 2026, Ireland Men v Italy Men, 1st T20I 

25 January 2026, Ireland Men v Italy Men, 2nd T20I 

26 January 2026, Ireland Men v Italy Men, 3rd T20I

These matches will allow both squads to pick up match sharpness, experiment with combinations, and fine-tune their strategies.

Form

Italy have been out of competitive cricket since 11 July 2025 when they lost to the Netherlands but still secured their maiden World Cup qualification due to a superior NRR over Jersey.

The side will aim to rebrand with their new captain Wayne Madsen who last represented the team in 2023, the task of adapting to the highest level with a new skipper without their star players in Joe Burns and Emiliano Gay will be challenging and hence Italy will look to maximise their time in the series before getting thrown into the cut-throat deep end that is the T20 World Cup.

This series marks the first three match bilateral against a full member nation for Italy 

Ireland will return to action after a 2-1 T20I series loss in the sub-continent against Bangladesh where they showed promising signs in adapting to the spin-friendly conditions the world cup is set to offer. 

Mark Adair will play a crucial role for Ireland, the bowling all-rounder featured in the UAE franchise league between international fixtures and will be familiar with the conditions over the course of this tour.

This series will serve as the last set of preparations for Italy ahead of their historic first World Cup campaign in Group C. Ireland will stay on in the UAE and play the hosts twice at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium