Italy Qualify For T20 WC 2026! Netherlands Join As 15 Teams Seal Spot For Marquee Event

Italy team in European Qualifiers (Source:@SunRisers/X.com)

In a major development regarding the qualification for the T20 World Cup 2026, two spots from the European Qualifier have been sealed. Italy are all set to play their first T20 World Cup while the Netherlands have also made it after winning the competition.

Jersey Miss The Cut As Netherlands Register Dominating Win Over Italy

The Dutch registered a thumping 9-wicket win over Italy in the final match of the T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025. They chased down the target of 135 in just 17th over and ended the tournament with six points in four matches. Italy finished second with five points in their four games and is now the 25th nation in the world to feature in T20 World Cup. 

Jersey missed the cut despite a win over Scotland in their last match due to their inferior net run-rate. Scotland, on the other hand, could win just one out of their four games and have failed to qualify despite starting the tournament as one of the favourites.

Five Spots Up For Grabs As Focus Shifts To African And Asia-Pacific Qualifiers

The addition of Italy and the Netherlands to the list means that a total of 15 nations have qualified for the T20 World Cup 2026. The upcoming edition of the marquee T20 competition will be a 20-team affair, and now five spots are up for grabs, which will include two from Africa and three from the Asia-Pacific region.

Recently, Canada qualified for the T20 World Cup as well with their dominating performance in Americas Regional Final. The World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka and so as hosts they have taken the initial two spots. The teams like USA, West Indies, Afghanistan have also qualified along with usual powerhouses of the game due to their Super 8 finish in the 2024 edition.

The likes of New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland who did not make it to the Super 8 have also qualified due to their standings in ICC T20I rankings. The African Qualifiers tournament is scheduled to start on September 19 while Asia Pacific qualifiers will be played in October. The top teams in these competitions will complete the line-up for the next year's T20 World Cup which India will enter as the defending champions.

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