Bangladesh’s planned tour of Ireland, scheduled for September 2026, has been postponed after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wanted to prioritize the home series against India during that window.
Cricket Ireland, which recently released its annual schedule, informed the BCB that it could not accommodate the rescheduling of the tour through 2026.
The decision comes after the Bangladesh board confirmed that they cannot travel in September as they plan to host India domestically.
Both boards eventually agreed to postpone the series after finding that the original September window could not be pursued.
The India series, which was originally scheduled to take place in Bangladesh in 2025, was scheduled to begin on August 28 with India visiting for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals before being postponed.
According to a BCB press release, the ODIs are set for September 1, 3 and 6, while the T20Is are scheduled for September 9, 12 and 13.
A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official gave an update on the status of the planned tour of Ireland and explained the reasons for its postponement.
“When the India series was shifted from last year to this September, we asked them (Cricket Ireland) if they could accommodate us at another time in 2026, but they said they can’t. So the tour has been postponed,” the official said.
“They also had some other issues, so we decided to work together to find a new window for the Ireland tour, next year (2027),” the official added.
This development comes as Bangladesh’s status in international cricket continues to improve.
Following their recent 2-1 series win at home against Pakistan, Bangladesh have moved up to ninth in the ICC ODI Team Rankings and now have 79 rating points – two places ahead of West Indies in tenth.
Bangladesh need to finish among the top eight teams in the rankings by March 31, 2027 to qualify directly for the 2027 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Any team outside that bracket must compete in the qualifiers.
With the Ireland tour postponed, Bangladesh are still expected to host New Zealand, Australia and India, and travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe before the qualification cut-off.
However, the outlook could change if the proposed domestic series against India in September is also postponed.
The series is subject to Indian government approval amid recent diplomatic tensions, and any delay could see Bangladesh face significantly reduced ODI matches ahead of the direct qualification deadline.