Italy Makes History: 15 Teams Qualify for T20 World Cup 2026

Cricket enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February 2026. The tournament will feature 20 teams, and as of now, 15 nations have secured their berths, with Italy qualifying for the T20 World Cup for the very first time in their history.

Italy's historic qualification came through the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, where they performed brilliantly to finish among the top two teams in the points table, alongside the Netherlands. Despite losing their final match to the Netherlands, Italy's superior net run rate ensured their progression.

Qualified Nations So Far

Alongside hosts India and Sri Lanka, several other prominent cricketing nations have automatically qualified based on their performance in the previous T20 World Cup 2024 (reaching the Super 8s) or their ICC T20I rankings as of June 30, 2024. These include:

• Australia

• England

• South Africa

• Afghanistan

• Bangladesh

• West Indies

• USA

• Ireland

• New Zealand

• Pakistan

In addition to Italy and the Netherlands from the Europe Qualifier, Canada also secured their spot by winning the Americas Qualifier, defeating Bahamas and maintaining an undefeated record in the Americas Regional Final. This marks Canada's second appearance in a World Cup hosted in India, having previously qualified for the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Remaining Qualification Spots

With 15 teams now confirmed, five spots are still up for grabs, to be decided through upcoming regional qualifiers:

• Africa Qualifier: Two teams will confirm their place from this tournament, which will feature nations like Namibia, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Tanzania, Malawi, and Botswana.

• Asia-EAP Qualifier: Three teams will qualify from this combined tournament, scheduled from October 1 to October 17. Participating teams include Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Japan, Qatar, Samoa, and UAE.

The last season of the T20 World Cup saw India clinch the trophy by defeating South Africa in the final. India scored 176 for 7 in 20 overs and successfully defended the total, restricting South Africa to 169, thereby winning their second T20 World Cup title.