Italy and the Netherlands have secured their tickets to the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. With four teams, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, and Jersey, still in contention heading into the final round of matches, the race for qualification could not have been tighter. But as the dust settled, it was the Dutch and the Italians who celebrated.
For Italy, it is a historic achievement as they qualified for the T20 World Cup for the first time ever. Even though they lost their last match to the Netherlands, they managed to go through because of their better net run rate compared to Jersey. The Dutch, with a win in their final game, also confirmed their place in the World Cup scheduled in 2026.
Jersey beat Scotland for the first time in T20Is, but it was not enough to get them through. Italy’s ability to stretch their match beyond 15 overs against the Netherlands made all the difference.
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Dream Comes True for Italy as They Qualify for T20 World Cup 2026
In the final game of the competition, Italy batted first and were restricted to 134 for 7. They struggled to build any big partnerships with wickets falling regularly. The Netherlands bowled well. Roelof van der Merwe took three wickets for just 15 runs.
To qualify, Italy had to make sure the Netherlands did not chase the target inside 15 overs. The Dutch openers, Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd, started strongly in the powerplay, scoring 66 runs with any loss. But the Italian bowlers held their nerve and managed to drag the game into the 17th over, which helped them stay ahead of Jersey on net run rate.
Even though the Netherlands won the match, both teams celebrated at the end. The result meant that Italy, for the first time, will play the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, alongside the experienced Dutch side.
Earlier in the tournament, Italy had defeated Scotland.
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Which Teams Have Qualified for T20 World Cup 2026?
So far, 15 teams have booked their place for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. These include the two hosts, India and Sri Lanka, along with Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Canada, Netherlands, Italy and the West Indies.
Two teams will come from Africa and three teams will qualify from the Asia and East Asia-Pacific region.
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