Italy Qualify for Men's T20 World Cup 2026 for the First Time in History

Italy Cricket Team Qualifies for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

It was a huge day for Italy because, for the first time, they have qualified for a main ICC World Cup event. Right now, there must be an atmosphere of joy all across Italy. It’s not just big for Italy, but it’s a significant moment for the entire cricketing world to see a new team emerging. Before the European Qualifiers, there were 13 teams who have already qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World CUP 2026. Two teams had to qualify from the European Qualifiers, and Italy became one of them. Now they will take part in this all-important tournament next year in India and Sri Lanka.

On the last day of the European Qualifier, things became interesting as four teams were in contention for the Men’s T20 WC 2026 spot. Italy played their last fixture against the Netherlands. They won the toss and elected to bat first. The start was not smooth as Italy lost two wickets early, inside the first three overs. They continued to lose wickets, and there were no big partnerships in the whole inning. Captain Joe Burns spent some time at the crease, and the cameos from Harry Manenti, Ben Manenti, and Grant Stewart helped the team to stretch their score to 134.

Although the score Italy put up in the first innings wasn’t really enough, to qualify, they only needed the opposition to chase this target after 15 overs. They have managed to stretch the game till the 17th over. The Netherlands won the game quite convincingly by 9 wickets with 3.4 overs still left in the game. Max O’Dowd and captain Scott Edwards remain unbeaten on 7 and 37, respectively.

Big Day in the History of Italian Cricket

Although Italy is not as big a cricketing nation as others like India, Australia, England, etc, they have been playing cricket for a while now. The country has played cricket since 1793, when Admiral Horatio Nelson set up the first game that was ever recorded. It took place in Naples. In 1984, they became an affiliate member of the ICC, before joining as an associate member in 1995. But, it will be their biggest achievement in cricket, to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 main event. They have marked their arrival at the biggest stage. This achievement is not just special for Italy, but also for the cricketing world, as it welcomes a new team into the spotlight. Fans back home will be proud, and the sport itself will be richer for it.

History of Italian Cricket

Italy played its first-ever international match against Denmark on July 15, 1989. They made their T20 debut against Oman in 2012 and played their first-ever T20I against Germany in 2019. The country’s cricket team has also featured in the ICC ODI WC Qualifiers, two times, in 1997 and 2001. They have already played four T20 WC Qualifiers, with the latest being the European Qualifiers 2025 (for the T20 WC 2026).

Teams Who Have Qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

With the European Qualifiers' completion, we have got two more teams who have qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Italy and the Netherlands have become the two teams that have qualified from the European Qualifiers. Now, the number goes to 15 in terms of teams qualified for the marquee tournament next year in February-March. India and Sri Lanka are the hosts of the T20 WC 2026, so their spot is fixed. The top 7 teams in the previous T20 WC edition (2024) have sealed their spot in the 2026 T20 WC. Pakistan, New Zealand, and Ireland qualified on the basis of the ICC Rankings. Canada takes the 13th spot after winning all six games in the Americas Qualifiers.

A total of 20 teams will feature in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 next year. Three teams will qualify from the Asia and Pacific Qualifiers, while two teams will qualify from the Africa Qualifiers. Oman and Zimbabwe will host the Asia and Pacific and Africa Qualifiers, respectively. Let’s see who the other five teams are that will make the cut in the T20 WC 2026.