Italy On Verge Of Qualifying For T20 World Cup 2026 After Shocking Win Over Scotland
Italy will qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026 if they manage to get the better of the Netherlands in their last league match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier.
The Italy men's cricket team is on the cusp of creating history. The European team stunned Scotland by 12 runs on Wednesday (July 9) at The Hague to take a giant step towards qualifying for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The 2026 edition of the men's T20 World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka early next year.
With a total of five points after three matches played so far in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, Italy top the points table. If the Joe Burns-led side manage to get the better of the Netherlands in their last league match on Friday (July 11) at Sportpark Westvliet in The Hague, then they will qualify for the T20 World Cup for the first time ever.
And even if Italy lose the match against the Netherlands team, then also they will still have a chance to progress. For that, they just have to make sure that they finish above Scotland and Jersey in the points table.
As of now, Jersey and Scotland have 3 points each to their credit, and they will face each other on Friday. The winner of that game will have a chance to match Italy's tally of 5 points. But still, Italy can finish above them due to a better net run rate and seal the deal.
According to Italy captain Burns, it feels 'very surreal" after his side took a major step towards qualifying for their first T20 World Cup.
35-year-old Burns, who played 23 Tests for Australia from 2014 to 2020 before pledging his allegiance to Italy last year, as per BBC Sport, said that his side 'technically cannot celebrate too hard at the moment" after the win in the Hague and acknowledged 'there's still a big game on Friday."
'I am really proud of the boys for this moment. To come and beat Scotland, who are a fantastic team, is a nice reward for sacrifices our players, staff, and federation have made," said Burns.
'Hopefully this is the stepping stone for a lot to come. It's a very emotional group at the moment. Being on the verge of a World Cup? It's very surreal."
In the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, USA, Canada, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, and Nepal made their debut, and USA even went on to stun the heavyweights Pakistan at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
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July 09, 2025, 21:24 IST
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