The International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the structure and pathway for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The 2026 edition, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will feature 20 teams, just like the 2024 edition.
The tournament will follow the same format, beginning with four groups of five teams each, followed by two Super Eights groups, and culminating in the semi-finals and final to determine the next champion.
Twelve teams have already confirmed their place in the upcoming T20 World Cup whilst eight teams are yet to decided.
Which teams are qualified already?
The two host teams, the teams that reached the Super Eight stage, and the two highest-ranked teams in the T20I rankings (a total of 12 teams) were confirmed to participate in the next edition.
- India and Sri Lanka qualified as hosts.
- England, South Africa, Afghanistan, Australia, West Indies, USA and Bangladesh qualified after reaching the Super Eight stage.
- New Zealand (6th), Pakistan (7th) and Ireland (11th) also qualified as a top-ranked side. (Three teams because of team India being common as the host and Super Eight side).
How will the remaining eight teams qualify?
The remaining eight sides will have to come across the regional qualifier. Africa, Asia, and Europe each have two qualification spots, while the Americas and the East-Asia Pacific regions each have one spot.
Teams such as Nepal, Oman, UAE, Canada, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and PNG will need to compete in their respective regions to secure a spot in the T20 World Cup 2026.
How can Nepal qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026?
The process is straightforward: Nepal must reach the final of the Asian region qualifier. In the 2024 edition, Nepal qualified as the runner-up in the Asian region qualifier. They need to secure a finalist position once more, as two spots are available from Asia.
Nepal and Oman will go straight to the regional final having competed at T20 World Cup 2024. Meanwhile, UAE, Hong Kong and Malaysia will have to come up from Asia’s sub-regional qualifier.
Nepal hosted the previous qualifying tournament, but the host for this year has not been confirmed yet.
Teams to qualify from different regions:
- Asia – 2 (Previous teams to qualify – Oman and Nepal)
- Africa – 2 (Previous teams to qualify – Namibia and Uganda)
- Europe – 2 (Previous teams to qualify – Scotland and Ireland)
- Americas – 1 (Previous team to qualify – Canada)
- East-Asia Pacific region – 1 (Previous team to qualify – PNG)
