2026 Men's T20 World Cup qualification

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The 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup was the tenth edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, a biennial world cup for cricket in Twenty20 International (T20I) format organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was co-hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and Sri Lanka Cricket from 7 February to 8 March 2026. Sri Lanka had previously hosted the competition in 2012 and India in 2016.[3][4][5] The qualification process for the 2026 tournament included two stages: 12 teams were awarded direct qualification while 87 teams took part in the regional qualification to compete for the remaining 8 spots. The regional qualification included a series of sub-regional qualifiers and regional finals held between June 2024 and October 2025.[6][7]

Dates9 June 2024 – 17 October 2025
Administrators
Cricket formatTwenty20 International
HostVarious
Quick facts Dates, Administrators ...
2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualification
"2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup" logo
2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament logo
Dates9 June 2024 – 17 October 2025
Administrators
Cricket formatTwenty20 International
HostVarious
Participants12 (direct qualification)
87 (regional qualification)
Matches292
Most runsUnited Arab Emirates Alishan Sharafu (508)[1]
Most wicketsThe Bahamas Festus Benn (22)[2]
← 2024
2028 →
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India and Sri Lanka, the host teams,[8] along with the top seven teams from the 2024 tournament – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States and the West Indies – directly qualified for the 2026 tournament. The remaining three direct qualification places were allocated to the next best-ranked teams in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings as on 30 June 2024 that had not finished in the top seven: Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan.[9] The eight remaining places were filled through the ICC's regional qualifiers: Canada from the Americas; Italy and Netherlands from Europe; Namibia and Zimbabwe from Africa; and Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates from the combined Asia–EAP final. Italy qualified for the men's T20 World Cup for the first time.[10] Ahead of the tournament itself, Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament and were replaced by the next best ranked team in the T20I Rankings: Scotland.[11]

Format

The top eight teams from the previous edition, along with the 2026 hosts and the next best two to four teams (depending on the finishing positions of the hosts in the previous edition) from the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings, qualified directly for the tournament.[7] The remaining eight teams were decided by regional qualifiers. Each regional qualifier was held in two stages:[12][13][14][15]

  • Sub-regional qualifiers: This stage comprised one or more tournaments depending on the ICC region. Matches were held in either single round-robin or double round-robin formats and sometimes included group stages and knockout stages or playoff formats as well. The stipulated number of teams advanced into the next stage.
  • Regional final: Top teams unable to earn direct qualification along with teams advancing from the sub-regional qualifiers took part in this stage. Matches were held in either single round-robin or double round-robin formats and sometimes included group stages and knockout stages or playoff formats as well. The stipulated number of teams advanced to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
More information ICC region, Slots per region ...
Summary of the qualification process[12][13][14]
ICC region Slots per region No. of directly qualified teams Remaining slots Regional qualifiers
No. of participants Start date End date
Africa 3122021 September 20244 October 2025
Americas 321106 December 202422 June 2025
Asia
East Asia-Pacific		 8(9)[a]3(4)[a]
2		316
9		30 August 2024
17 August 2024		17 October 2025
Europe 6(5)[a]4(3)[a]2329 June 202411 July 2025
Total2012887
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Qualified teams

Map highlighting the countries at the 2026 T20 World Cup qualification pathway
Highlighted are the countries that participated in the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup qualification pathway.
  Qualified directly (hosts, top 6 from the previous tournament, or via T20I Rankings)
  Qualified via the regional qualifiers
  Participated in the regional qualifiers but failed to qualify
  Withdrew or suspended
More information Team, Method of qualification ...
Details of the teams qualified for the T20 World Cup[16][17][18]
Team Method of qualification Date of qualification Venue(s) Number of teams Total times qualified Last time qualified Previous best performance
 India Hosts16 November 2021N/a2102024Winners (2007, 2024)
 Sri Lanka 102024Winners (2014)
 Afghanistan 2024 Men's T20 World Cup
(Top teams from the previous tournament, excluding hosts)		17 June 2024
West Indies

United States
6(7)82024Semi-finals (2024)
 Australia 102024Winners (2021)
 Bangladesh[a] 92024Super 8 (2007, 2024)
 England 102024Winners (2010, 2022)
 South Africa 102024Runners-up (2024)
 United States 22024Super 8 (2024)
 West Indies 102024Winners (2012, 2016)
 Ireland ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings30 June 2024N/a392024Super 8 (2009)
 New Zealand 102024Runners-up (2021)
 Pakistan 102024Winners (2009)
 Canada Americas Qualifier15 – 22 June 2025
Canada
122024Group stage (2024)
 Italy Europe Qualifier5 – 11 July 2025
Netherlands
21N/a—
 Netherlands 72024Super 12 (2022)
 Namibia Africa Qualifier26 September – 4 October 2025
Zimbabwe
242024Super 12 (2021)
 Zimbabwe 72022Super 12 (2022)
   Nepal Asia–EAP Qualifier8 – 17 October 2025
Oman
332024Group stage (2014, 2024)
 Oman 42024Group stage (2016, 2021, 2024)
 United Arab Emirates 32022Group stage (2014, 2022)
 Scotland ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings
(Replacement for Bangladesh)[a]		21 January 2026N/a172024Super 12 (2021)
Total20
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  1. [a]
    Bangladesh had initially qualified for the tournament, but following the Board of Control for Cricket in India's decision to exclude Bangladeshi players from the 2026 Indian Premier League in January 2026 as a response to the anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh during 2025 and the lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in December 2025,[19][20] the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested that Bangladesh's matches at the World Cup be moved from India.[21][22] The International Cricket Council however rejected the BCB's request and Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament.[23][24] They were replaced by the next highest ranked team in the T20I Rankings: Scotland.[25][11]

Africa qualifier

The qualification stages were as follows:

  • Qualifier A: Six teams played in round-robin format for 15 matches from 21 to 26 September 2024 in Tanzania.[26]
  • Qualifier B: Six teams played in round-robin format for 15 matches from 19 to 24 October 2024 in Kenya.[27]
  • Qualifier C: Six teams played in round-robin format for 15 matches from 23 to 28 November 2024 in Nigeria.[28]
  • Regional final: Eight teams divided into two groups of four played in round-robin format followed by playoffs for a total of 20 matches from 26 September to 4 October 2025 in Zimbabwe.[29]

Africa sub-regional qualifiers

The sub-regional qualifiers were hosted by the Tanzania Cricket Association, Cricket Kenya and the Nigeria Cricket Federation.[26][27][28] The top two sides of each sub-regional qualifier (Malawi and Tanzania from qualifier A, Kenya and Zimbabwe from qualifier B[30][31] and Botswana and Nigeria from qualifier C[32]) advanced to the regional final.[15]

Africa qualifier A

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Africa Sub-regional Qualifier A
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier A standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Tanzania (H) 5 5 0 0 10 4.774 Advanced to the regional final
2  Malawi 5 4 1 0 8 3.241
3  Ghana 5 3 2 0 6 1.575 Eliminated
4  Cameroon 5 2 3 0 4 −1.191
5  Lesotho 5 1 4 0 2 −2.283
6  Mali 5 0 5 0 0 −6.637
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[33]
(H) Host

Africa qualifier B

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Africa Sub-regional Qualifier B
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier B standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Zimbabwe 5 5 0 0 10 8.893 Advanced to the regional final
2  Kenya (H) 5 4 1 0 8 3.108
3  Mozambique 5 3 2 0 6 −1.259 Eliminated
4  Rwanda 5 2 3 0 4 −1.853
5  Seychelles 5 1 4 0 2 −4.425
6  Gambia 5 0 5 0 0 −7.219
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[34]
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Africa qualifier C

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Africa Sub-regional Qualifier C
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier C standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Nigeria (H) 5 5 0 0 10 5.372 Advanced to the regional final
2  Botswana 5 4 1 0 8 1.796
3  Sierra Leone 5 3 2 0 6 2.474 Eliminated
4  Eswatini 5 2 3 0 4 −0.337
5  Saint Helena 5 1 4 0 2 −1.369
6  Ivory Coast 5 0 5 0 0 −10.698
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[35]
(H) Host

Africa regional final

Main article: 2025 Men's T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final

Namibia and Uganda directly qualified for the regional final after receiving a bye due to their participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup.[15] The regional final was hosted by the Zimbabwe Cricket.[29] The top two sides of the regional final (Namibia and Zimbabwe) qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup.[36]

Group stage
More information Pos, Pld ...
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Knockout stage

Americas qualifier

The qualification stages were as follows:

  • Sub-regional qualifier: Nine teams played in round-robin format for 36 matches from 6 to 16 December 2024 in Argentina.[38]
  • Regional final: Four teams played in double round-robin format for 12 matches from 15 to 22 June 2025 in Canada.[39]

Americas sub-regional qualifier

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Americas Sub-regional Qualifier

The sub-regional qualifier was hosted by the Argentine Cricket Association.[38] The top three sides of the sub-regional qualifier (Bahamas, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands) advanced to the regional final.[15][39]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Bermuda 8 7 0 1 15 3.601 Advanced to the regional final
2  Cayman Islands 8 6 2 0 12 2.089
3  Bahamas 8 6 2 0 12 0.258
4  Argentina (H) 8 5 2 1 11 0.266 Eliminated
5  Belize 8 3 5 0 6 −0.551
6  Mexico 8 2 6 0 4 −0.326
7  Panama 8 2 6 0 4 −1.304
8  Suriname 8 2 6 0 4 −1.309
9  Brazil 8 2 6 0 4 −2.213
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[40]
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Americas regional final

Main article: 2025 Men's T20 World Cup Americas Regional Final

Canada directly qualified for the regional final after receiving a bye due to their participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup.[15] The regional final was hosted by Cricket Canada.[39] The winners of the regional final (Canada) qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup.[41]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Final standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Canada (H) 6 6 0 0 12 4.843 Qualified for the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup
2  Bermuda 6 3 3 0 6 0.186 Eliminated
3  Cayman Islands 6 3 3 0 6 −0.705
4  Bahamas 6 0 6 0 0 −4.234
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[42]
(H) Host

Asia–East Asia-Pacific qualifier

The qualification stages were as follows:

  • Asia qualifier A: Seven teams played in round-robin format for 21 matches from 30 August to 9 September 2024 in Malaysia.[43]
  • Asia qualifier B: Seven teams played in round-robin format for 21 matches from 19 to 28 November 2024 in Qatar.[44]
  • EAP qualifier A: Four teams played in double round-robin format for 12 matches from 17 to 24 August 2024 in Samoa.[45]
  • EAP qualifier B: Four teams played in double round-robin format for 12 matches from 28 September to 5 October 2024 in South Korea.[46]
  • Combined regional final: Nine teams divided into three groups of three played in round-robin format followed by a six team round-robin for a total of 21 matches from 1 to 17 October 2025 in Oman.[47]

Asia sub-regional qualifiers

The sub-regional qualifiers were hosted by the Malaysian Cricket Association and the Qatar Cricket Association.[43][44] The top two sides of each sub-regional qualifier (Kuwait and Malaysia from qualifier A[48] and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from qualifier B[49]) advanced to the combined regional final.[15]

Asia qualifier A

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub-regional Qualifier A
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier A standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Malaysia (H) 6 5 1 0 10 2.612 Advanced to the regional final
2  Kuwait 6 4 1 1 9 5.053
3  Hong Kong 6 4 1 1 9 4.945 Eliminated
4  Singapore 6 4 2 0 8 3.141
5  Maldives 6 2 4 0 4 −1.368
6  Myanmar 6 1 5 0 2 −3.712
7  Mongolia 6 0 6 0 0 −7.145
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[50]
(H) Host

Asia qualifier B

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Asia Sub-regional Qualifier B
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier B standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  United Arab Emirates 6 6 0 0 12 2.541 Advanced to the regional final
2  Qatar (H) 6 5 1 0 10 0.876
3  Bahrain 6 3 3 0 6 0.958 Eliminated
4  Saudi Arabia 6 3 3 0 6 0.869
5  Thailand 6 3 3 0 6 −1.330
6  Cambodia 6 1 5 0 2 −1.467
7  Bhutan 6 0 6 0 0 −2.367
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[51]
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East Asia-Pacific sub-regional qualifiers

The sub-regional qualifiers were hosted by the Samoa International Cricket Association and the Korea Cricket Association.[45][46] The winners of each sub-regional qualifier (Samoa from qualifier A[52] and Japan from qualifier B[53]) advanced to the combined regional final.[15]

EAP qualifier A

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub-regional Qualifier A
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier A standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Samoa (H) 6 4 2 0 8 1.270 Advanced to the regional final
2  Cook Islands 6 4 2 0 8 −0.008 Eliminated
3  Fiji 6 3 3 0 6 −0.858
4  Vanuatu 6 1 5 0 2 −0.306
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[54]
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EAP qualifier B

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub-regional Qualifier B
More information Pos, Pld ...
Qualifier B standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Japan 6 6 0 0 12 3.527 Advanced to the regional final
2  Philippines 6 3 3 0 6 1.235 Eliminated
3  Indonesia 6 3 3 0 6 −1.834
4  South Korea (H) 6 0 6 0 0 −2.840
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[55]
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Asia–EAP combined regional final

Main article: 2025 Men's T20 World Cup Asia–EAP Regional Final

Nepal, Oman and Papua New Guinea directly qualified for the regional final after receiving a bye due to their participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup.[15] The combined regional final was hosted by the Oman Cricket.[47] The top three sides of the regional final (Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates) qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup.[56]

Group stage

More information Pos, Pld ...
Group A standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  United Arab Emirates 2 2 0 0 4 0.584 Advanced to the Super 6
2  Qatar 2 1 1 0 2 0.225
3  Malaysia 2 0 2 0 0 −0.873 Eliminated
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[57]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Group B standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1    Nepal 2 2 0 0 4 1.834 Advanced to the Super 6
2  Japan 2 1 1 0 2 −0.309
3  Kuwait 2 0 2 0 0 −1.576 Eliminated
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[57]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Group C standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Oman (H) 2 2 0 0 4 1.874 Advanced to the Super 6
2  Samoa 2 1 1 0 2 −0.302
3  Papua New Guinea 2 0 2 0 0 −1.574 Eliminated
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[57]
(H) Host
Super 6 stage

More information Pos, Pld ...
Super 6 stage standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1    Nepal 5 5 0 0 10 1.849 Qualified for the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup
2  Oman 5 4 1 0 8 0.456
3  United Arab Emirates 5 3 2 0 6 1.493
4  Qatar 5 2 3 0 4 −0.114 Eliminated
5  Japan 5 1 4 0 2 −1.033
6  Samoa 5 0 5 0 0 −2.809
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Source: ESPNcricinfo[57]

Europe qualifier

The qualification stages were as follows:

  • Qualifier A: Ten teams divided into two groups of five played in round-robin format followed by playoffs for a total of 24 matches from 9 to 16 June 2024 in Italy.[58]
  • Qualifier B: Ten teams divided into two groups of five played in round-robin format followed by playoffs for a total of 24 matches from 7 to 14 July 2024 in Germany.[59]
  • Qualifier C: Ten teams divided into two groups of five played in round-robin format followed by playoffs for a total of 24 matches from 21 to 28 August 2024 in Guernsey.[60]
  • Regional final: Five teams played in round-robin format for 10 matches from 5 to 11 July 2025 in the Netherlands.[61]

Europe sub-regional qualifiers

The sub-regional qualifiers were hosted by the Italian Cricket Federation, the German Cricket Federation and the Guernsey Cricket Board.[58][59][60] The winners of each sub-regional qualifier (Italy from qualifier A,[62] Jersey from qualifier B[63] and Guernsey from qualifier C[64]) advanced to the regional final.[15]

Europe qualifier A

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-regional Qualifier A
Group stage
More information Pos, Pld ...
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Qualifier A final

Europe qualifier B

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-regional Qualifier B
Group stage
More information Pos, Pld ...
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Qualifier B final

Europe qualifier C

Main article: 2024 Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub-regional Qualifier C
Group stage
More information Pos, Pld ...
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Qualifier C final

Europe regional final

Main article: 2025 Men's T20 World Cup Europe Regional Final

The Netherlands and Scotland directly qualified for the regional final after receiving a bye due to their participation in the 2024 T20 World Cup.[15] The regional final was hosted by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association[61] The top two sides of the regional final (Italy and the Netherlands) qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup.[71]

More information Pos, Pld ...
Final standings
Pos Team
 Pld W L NR Pts NRR Qualification
1  Netherlands (H) 4 3 1 0 6 1.281 Qualified for the
2026 Men's T20 World Cup
2  Italy 4 2 1 1 5 0.612
3  Jersey 4 2 1 1 5 0.306 Eliminated
4  Scotland[a] 4 1 2 1 3 −0.117 Qualified for the
2026 Men's T20 World Cup
5  Guernsey 4 0 3 1 1 −2.517 Eliminated
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Source: Cricinfo[74]
(H) Host
  1. [a]
    Although Scotland were eliminated in the qualifier; they qualified for the tournament based on ICC Rankings to replace Bangladesh after the latter's withdrawal.[72][73]

Statistics

Throughout the qualifiers, Alishan Sharafu of the United Arab Emirates scored the most runs (508 runs from 12 innings), while Festus Benn of Bahrain took the most wickets (22 wickets from 13 innings).[1][2]

More information Runs, Player ...
Most runs[1]
Runs Player Team
508 Alishan Sharafu United Arab Emirates
499 Brian Bennett Zimbabwe
466 Jermaine Baker Cayman Islands
402 Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming Japan
396 Rakep Patel Kenya
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More information Wickets, Player ...
Most wickets[2]
Wickets Player Team
22 Festus Benn Bahamas
19 Ridwan Abdulkareem Nigeria
Derrick Brangman Bermuda
Richard Ngarava Zimbabwe
18 Alessandro Morris Cayman Islands
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References

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