The lineup for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is now complete after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sealed the 20th and final qualification spot. UAE secured their place by defeating Japan by eight wickets in the Asia-EAP Qualifier held in Al Amerat on Thursday.
Led by Haider Ali’s 3 for 20 and a solid 70-run opening stand between Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem, UAE comfortably chased Japan’s 117 to book their ticket to next year’s mega event, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February–March 2026.
With UAE’s qualification, all 20 participating nations are now confirmed. Nepal and Oman also secured their berths through the same qualifying route.
The automatically qualified teams include hosts India and Sri Lanka, along with the top seven sides from the 2024 T20 World Cup — Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, and West Indies. Based on T20I rankings, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Ireland also gained direct entry.
From regional qualifiers, Canada claimed the Americas spot, Italy (making their T20 World Cup debut) and Netherlands qualified from Europe, while Namibia and Zimbabwe advanced from Africa.
The tournament format remains the same as the 2024 edition — four groups of five teams each will battle in the round-robin stage, followed by the Super 8s, semi-finals, and the grand final.
