The Netherlands and Italy have secured their spots in the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka. The Dutch topped the Europe Regional Final, winning three out of their four matches. Italy’s road to qualification was much tighter, they just edged past Jersey thanks to a slightly better Net Run Rate (NRR).
Netherlands Clinch Top Spot in Europe Qualifier
The tournament had a dramatic finish, with Italy, the Netherlands, Jersey, and Scotland all still in the running for qualification going into the final day.
Earlier on Friday, Jersey pulled off a nail-biting win over Scotland, sealing the victory on the very last ball. It was a historic moment too, this was the first time Jersey had ever beaten Scotland in a T20 International.
The result meant the Netherlands had no choice but to beat Italy to qualify. On the other hand, Italy just needed to avoid a heavy defeat to go through.
Who Qualified Automatically and How?
Italy chose to bat first and put up 134 for seven. The Netherlands chased down the target in under 17 overs, but Italy managed to hold on thanks to a better Net Run Rate (NRR), which worked in their favour.
The 2026 T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams, with India and Sri Lanka set to co-host the event. Several teams have already booked their spots. These include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the West Indies, and the United States, all of whom made it to the Super Eights in the previous T20 World Cup.
Pakistan, New Zealand, and Ireland also earned automatic qualification based on their T20I rankings. Canada joined the lineup after winning the Americas Regional Final in June.
T20 World Cup 2026 Europe Qualifier table
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | NR | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1.281 |
| Italy | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.612 |
| Jersey | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0.306 |
| Scotland | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -0.117 |
| Guernsey | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | -2.517 |
