Jay Shah congratulates Italy, Netherlands on qualifying for 2026 T20 World Cup

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah has extended his congratulations to the Netherlands and Italy after both teams secured qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Italy made history by earning their maiden entry into the T20 World Cup, despite suffering a nine-wicket defeat to the Netherlands in the final of the Europe Qualifier held at Sportpark Westvliet in The Hague.

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“An amazing result for @KNCBcricket and @FedCricket, qualifying for the @ICC Men’s @T20WorldCup 2026 through the Europe Qualifier. For Italy, it will be their first-ever appearance at the tournament that India will defend early next year. Well done to both teams!” said Jay Shah in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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This marks the first time the Italian men’s team will feature in a senior ICC world event, an unprecedented achievement in the nation’s cricketing journey. The breakthrough came during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, where Italy stunned more established sides with their clinical performances.

Notably, they secured convincing wins over Guernsey and pulled off a major upset against Scotland, one of Europe’s strongest associate teams. With those victories, Italy became the 13th team to confirm qualification for the 2026 tournament.

Despite Jersey pulling off a shock win over Scotland earlier in the day, it was Italy’s superior net run rate that proved decisive. Ranked 32nd in the world, Italy finished level on five points with Jersey but edged ahead to secure their berth.

The Netherlands followed soon after to secure their own qualification, leaving just six spots up for grabs. These remaining berths will be decided through upcoming regional qualifiers. Two spots will be filled by teams from Africa, one from the Americas, and three from the Asia/East Asia-Pacific region.

The 2026 edition will be the biggest T20 World Cup yet, featuring 20 teams and bringing together the best of the full members and rising forces from associate cricket.

Hosts India and Sri Lanka gained automatic entry, as did Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the West Indies, and the United States by virtue of reaching the Super Eight stage in the previous edition.

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