Pakistan Champions Out of World Championship of Legends 2026, All Matches Dropped
Pakistan Champions are out of WCL 2026 in the UAE, and their 6 October game with West Indies is off. What is confirmed, what is only reported and the new dates.
Pakistan Champions are out of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2026 in the UAE. The organisers published a revised schedule on 5 October with six teams and no Pakistan matches, so the game against West Indies Champions in Sharjah on 6 October will not be played. The dispute is over the Pakistan Cricket Board's no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the players.
We checked the tournament's own website on 6 October. Its about page now says six championship teams take part in Season 3. Its match centre lists 18 matches, marked "Revised schedule · 5 October 2026", and Pakistan Champions do not appear in any of them.
The PCB has not issued its own statement on the withdrawal. Its latest releases, which we read the same morning, cover the Sri Lanka series squads, a women's retirement and junior cricket. So the reason for the exit comes from reports for now, and we mark it that way below.
Pakistan Champions are off the WCL 2026 schedule
Pakistan Champions will play no matches at WCL 2026. The organisers' revised schedule of 5 October has six teams: India, South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies and Bangladesh Champions. The tournament runs from 3 to 18 October in Sharjah.
Pakistan were finalists in both earlier seasons, in 2024 and 2025. Losing them takes one of the biggest draws out of the event, and it also removes any chance of an India Champions vs Pakistan Champions match this year.
Pakistan Champions had been due to open against Bangladesh Champions in Sharjah on 3 October. Reports say that match was first postponed and then dropped. The 6 October fixture against West Indies Champions has now gone too. On the revised schedule there is no cricket at all on 6 October.
Six Pakistan matches were removed from the WCL schedule
Six league matches went when Pakistan Champions left. With seven teams each playing the other six once, the league stage had 21 games. With six teams it has 15. Add two semi-finals and a final, and the revised schedule has 18 matches in total.
| WCL 2026 | With Pakistan | After 5 October |
|---|---|---|
| Teams | 7 | 6 |
| League matches | 21 | 15 |
| Matches per team | 6 | 5 |
| Knockout matches | 3 | 3 |
| Total matches | 24 | 18 |
The figures with Pakistan are our own count from a seven-team single round robin. The revised figures are read straight from the organisers' match centre.
The PCB banned WCL participation in August 2025
The PCB announced a blanket ban on future participation in the WCL on 3 August 2025. Its Board of Governors took the decision at its 79th meeting, chaired by Mohsin Naqvi. The board said it could no longer support an event where fair play had been compromised by outside pressure.
That decision followed WCL 2025 in England. India Champions refused to play Pakistan Champions twice, in the league and then in the semi-final, and both matches were cancelled. In its release, the PCB criticised the organisers for awarding points to a team that chose to forfeit, and for the wording of their cancellation statements.
Pakistan Champions still appeared in the 2026 line-up when the schedule first came out. The PCB issues NOCs to Pakistani players who take part in cricket abroad. The same system applies when a player joins a foreign league, as Babar Azam did with his ILT20 deal with Desert Vipers.
Reports say the NOC talks broke down over an apology
Reports say the PCB set conditions before it would issue NOCs to the Pakistan Champions players, and the organisers rejected them. The condition most widely reported is a written apology from Indian players over the 2025 matches. Neither the PCB nor the organisers have published these terms on their own websites.
We could not confirm the conditions at source. The PCB's release list had nothing on the WCL when we checked, and the organisers' news page shows match reports and team posts only. Reports also say the organisers called the withdrawal "unforeseen circumstances" in a statement on 5 October. We have not seen that statement on their website.
Until either side publishes its version, here is what is confirmed and what is not:
- Confirmed by the organisers' website: six teams, 18 matches, revised schedule dated 5 October, no Pakistan Champions fixtures.
- Confirmed by the PCB's website: the blanket ban on WCL participation announced on 3 August 2025.
- Reported only: the PCB refused NOCs after its conditions were rejected.
- Reported only: one condition was a written apology from Indian players.
- Not published by anyone: refunds for fans who bought tickets for Pakistan Champions matches.
WCL 2026 continues in Sharjah until the 18 October final
The six remaining teams play on in Sharjah. The semi-finals are on 16 October and the final is on 18 October at 3:30 pm UAE time, which is 4:30 pm in Pakistan. UAE time is one hour behind Pakistan Standard Time.
Evening matches start at 7:30 pm UAE time, or 8:30 pm PKT. The same week brings the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20Is in Rawalpindi on 9, 11 and 13 October, so Pakistani fans still have plenty of cricket to follow. The Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 live options cover that series, and the full Pakistan cricket schedule for October and November lists every home fixture.
If you bought a ticket for a Pakistan Champions match in Sharjah, contact the seller you bought from. The organisers' website gives a tickets link but says nothing about refunds for the dropped games.
Common questions
Is Pakistan playing in the World Championship of Legends 2026?
No. The organisers' revised schedule of 5 October has six teams, and Pakistan Champions are not one of them.
Why did Pakistan Champions withdraw from WCL 2026?
Reports say the PCB did not issue NOCs after the organisers rejected its conditions. The PCB had already banned WCL participation in August 2025.
Is the Pakistan vs West Indies Champions match on 6 October cancelled?
Yes. It is not on the revised schedule, and no WCL match is listed on 6 October.
Will India Champions play Pakistan Champions in WCL 2026?
No. With Pakistan Champions out, there is no India vs Pakistan legends match this season.
When is the WCL 2026 final?
On 18 October 2026 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, at 3:30 pm UAE time, or 4:30 pm PKT.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 6 October 2026, about 4:30 am PKT. We read the organisers' WCL Season 3 match centre for the revised schedule and the about page for the six-team line-up. The 2025 ban is from the PCB release "PCB expresses disappointment over WCL's hypocrisy" of 3 August 2025. The NOC conditions are reported and not confirmed by either side.
About the author
Senior Writer, Public Services and Technology
Shahid joined us in 2024 as an author. He is a senior contributor to Pakistan's leading technology websites. He writes detailed articles, mostly covering his expertise in the latest tech, mobiles, apps, gadgets, and step-by-step guides. His ideology is to help people understand the latest trends and explain complex methods through very easy-to-understand guides.
