Bhubaneswar : Italy and the Netherlands have qualified for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. This qualification marks a historic milestone for Italy, as it is their first-ever appearance in an ICC World Cup event.
In the Europe Qualifiers’ final day, despite losing to the Netherlands by nine wickets, Italy secured their spot based on a superior net run rate. Italy scored 134/7 batting first, with key contributions from Benjamin Manenti and Grant Stewart. The Netherlands started their chase aggressively but Italy managed to slow the innings enough to reach the 17th over, the minimum required for Italy’s qualification.
The Netherlands restricted Italy well with Roelof van der Merwe taking 3 wickets for 15 runs, and Kyle Klein bowling tightly. Both teams finished in the top two of the Europe Qualifier standings, with Jersey narrowly missing out despite a historic win over Scotland.
So far, 15 teams have qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup, with five spots remaining from the Asia-East Asia Pacific and Africa qualifiers.
Qualified teams include: India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies, USA, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Netherlands, and Italy.
This achievement highlights Italy’s rising stature in cricket, boosted by players with experience in leagues like the Big Bash League and former international players such as Joe Burns
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