Rashid Khan has been named as Afghanistan's captain for the upcoming T20 World Cup in February.

The tournament, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, gets underway on February 7, with Afghanistan facing New Zealand in their first match a day later.

They will also face South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Canada in the first stage of the competition as they look to build on their last campaign in the shortest format.

At the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan reached their first-ever semi-final at a major ICC tournament, though they were thrashed by the Proteas in that bout.

Afghanistan have named a strong 15-man squad for the event, with Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Gulbadin Naib all included.

ACB Name AfghanAtalan Squad for the West Indies Series and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

Kabul – December 31, 2025: The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s National Selection Committee has finalized the AfghanAtalan Squad for the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies and the… pic.twitter.com/odBoCbMAWy

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) December 31, 2025

The same squad will also take on West Indies in a three-match T20I series in the UAE in preparation for the tournament.

"Afghanistan had a terrific run in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup. We cherish excellent memories from the past, and hope for even better results this year, which will be played in Asian conditions," said Naseeb Khan, the Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO.

"Hosting the West Indies team provides us with an incredible opportunity to fine-tune our combination and prepare adequately for the World Cup."