UAE topple Japan to secure final spot in T20 World Cup 2026: Full list of qualified teams

UAE qualifies for T20 World Cup 2026 [Source: @EmiratesCricket/X.com]

United Arab Emirates has secured its spot at next year's ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka with a top-three finish at the Asia/East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in Oman.

UAE joins Nepal and Oman to complete the final slate of 20 teams qualifying for the major global tournament. The victory came against Japan, who had their heartbreak of getting sidelined from the qualification scenario.

---

ALSO READ

Saudi Arabia ventures into mainstream cricket! Partners with ILT20 ahead of auction

---

UAE triumphs with easy win over Japan

The Muhammad Waseem-led side faced Japan in the 18th match at Al Amarat on October 16, and the game was dominantly won by UAE with 47 balls remaining. Japan came in to bat first but suffered an early collapse, with the middle order getting flayed by Muhammad Arfan and Zahid Ali. Japan's only notable contributions came from Esam Rahman and Wataru Miyauchi, who scored 23 and 45 runs respectively, helping their team reach a total of 116.

From UAE's batting side, the target was chased down in just 12.1 overs. Openers Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem added 88 runs together before departing in the 8th and 10th overs. Mayank Kumar and Rahul Chopra finished the job with ease, guiding their team qualify for the tournament.

Waseem expresses emotions after win

Speaking after the match, Muhammad Waseem was electric upon getting the chance for his team to appear for the third time in the World Cup. 

"It's a proud moment that we have qualified for the World Cup the boys are really looking forward to it. You definitely need experience to play such a high profile tournament. So for us it's a blessing in disguise that we played here. So I have always told my team that we lack a bit of experience and exposure so this is what we wanted and we have got it," Waseem said.

List of all teams for 2026 T20 World Cup

UAE becomes the last team to qualify for the T20 World Cup. Here's a look at the full list of teams that qualified for the global tournament in 2026.

---

ALSO READ

Nepal script history! Book T20 World Cup 2026 tickets with unbeaten Asia and EAP run

---