New Delhi: The complete lineup for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is now confirmed. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the final team to book their ticket, joining Nepal and Oman after a decisive victory in the Asia-EAP Qualifier tournament in Al Amerat.
On Thursday, UAE sealed their qualification with a commanding eight-wicket win over Japan. The victory was built on a superb bowling performance from Haider Ali, who claimed 3 wickets for 20 runs. In the chase of 117, a solid 70-run opening partnership between Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem ensured a comfortable path to the World Cup.
The 20-team roster includes a mix of automatic qualifiers and teams who battled through regional contests. Co-hosts India and Sri Lanka secured direct entry. They are joined by the top seven teams from the 2024 World Cup: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and West Indies. New Zealand, Pakistan, and Ireland qualified based on their T20I rankings.
The remaining spots were filled through intense regional qualifiers. Canada emerged from the Americas, while Italy, marking their first-ever T20 World Cup appearance, and the Netherlands advanced from Europe. Namibia and Zimbabwe claimed the two spots from the African qualifiers, with Nepal, Oman, and UAE rounding out the list from the Asia-EAP region.
The 2026 tournament will retain the same format as the previous edition. The 20 nations will be divided into four groups of five for a round-robin stage. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8 phase, where they will be split into two groups of four. The top two sides from each Super 8 group will then proceed to the semi-finals, with the winners clashing in the final.
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