With 20 teams vying for the top honour in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, attention has already turned to qualification criteria for the T20 World Cup 2026. India and Sri Lanka will jointly co-host the 10th edition of the hugely popular tournament. Let’s take a look at how the T20 World Cup 2026 qualification will work.
The format of the T20 World Cup 2026 will be similar to the ongoing version, with 20 teams playing 55 matches in total. 12 teams will gain direct qualification based on Group stage standings and rankings, while the other 8 teams will qualify on the basis of sub-regional qualifiers leading to regional finals.
Direct qualification scenario for T20 World Cup 2026
First of all, the co-hosts of the tournament, India and Sri Lanka, gain direct qualification to the T20 World Cup 2026 irrespective of their standings in the group stage. The top two teams from each group of the T20 World Cup 2024 will gain direct qualification to the 2026 edition. Apart from the 10 teams, the teams ranked 11th and 12th in T20s at the time of the 2024 edition’s final on June 29th gain direct qualification.
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Regional qualifiers
The ICC’s five developmental regions—Africa, America, East Asia Pacific, Europe, and Asia—will again host a series of sub-regional qualifiers, which will be followed by regional finals. Asia, Africa, and Europe will have two qualifying slots out of these eight, with East Asia Pacific and the Americas getting one each.
T20 World Cup 2026 qualification spots
Hosts: 2 teams (India and Sri Lanka)
Top 8 teams from T20 World Cup 2024 edition
Two highest-ranked ICC T20 teams after above ten sides
Europe Qualifiers: 2
Asia Qualifiers: 2
Africa Qualifiers: 2
East Asia-Pacific Qualifier: 1
Americas Qualifier: 1