We are just a few months away from the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the 20-over event, with 20 teams in the hunt. A few teams got direct entries, while a few had to earn it through regional qualifiers.
So, which teams have qualified for the T20 World Cup 2026?
Here’s the list of teams that have made the cut for the global event.
T20 World Cup 2026 Qualified Teams
- India
- Sri Lanka
- Afghanistan
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- South Africa
- United States of America
- West Indies
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Ireland
- Canada
- Italy
- Netherlands
- Namibia
- Zimbabwe
- Nepal
- Oman
- United Arab Emirates
But how did the teams qualify?
Twelve teams gained direct qualification based on their performance in the previous T20 World Cup and their standings on the ICC rankings. And the other eight teams? They made the cut through four regional finals.
Co-Hosts
Since India and Sri Lanka are official co-hosts, they automatically qualified for the tournament. India also walk into the tournament as the defending champions.
T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight
The teams that made the Super Eight in the 2024 edition secured a direct spot in this tournament.
India were one of them, while the other seven teams were:
- Afghanistan
- Australia
- Bangladesh
- England
- South Africa
- United States of America
- West Indies
ICC Team Rankings
The next three spots went to the next three best teams in the ICC team rankings at the cutoff date. And the teams are New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland.
Americas Qualifier
Since the USA were already in, Canada practically had no competition in the 2025 Americas Regional Final. Easy peasy, right?
They remained unbeaten in the four-team tournament, beating Bermuda, Cayman Islands, and Bahamas twice each. And so Canada booked their berth.
Europe Qualifier
The Netherlands made the cut for yet another T20 World Cup through the 2025 Europe Regional Final, though it didn’t come easy. A loss against Scotland had made things trickier, but a win in their last league game saw them through.
And who did the Dutch beat? Italy – the team that finished second on the points table to qualify for their first-ever T20 World Cup!
Italy defeated Guernsey and pulled an upset against Scotland, while an abandoned match against Jersey turned their dream into reality.
Africa Qualifier
Eight teams contested the 2025 Africa Regional Final. Namibia and Uganda looked to retain their spots, while Zimbabwe aimed for redemption.
While Uganda failed to go beyond the group stage, Namibia and Zimbabwe made it to the final unbeaten, securing their spots in the event.
Namibia thrashed Kenya, Nigeria, and Malawi in the group stage, while Zimbabwe eased past Tanzania, Uganda, and Botswana. In the semis, they comprehensively beat Tanzania and Kenya, respectively, to confirm their qualification.
Asia and East-Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifier
After the Africa Qualifier, all eyes were on the Asia-EAP Regional Final. A total of nine teams fought for three spots.
Three teams came from the previous T20 World Cup, while the other six made it through sub-regional qualifiers. After the group stage, six teams advanced into the Super Six round, where Nepal, Oman, and the UAE sealed the top three spots.
Papua New Guinea couldn’t retain their spot, while Japan and Qatar came close to making their first appearance in the big event.
When is the T20 World Cup 2026 scheduled?
The 20-over tournament will take place in February and March 2026 across the two Asian countries.
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