Pakistan books place in 2026 T20 World Cup

Pakistan have qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup despite their early elimination from the recently concluded 2024 edition, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Tuesday.

According to the ICC, Sri Lanka and India are in the top two spots as they will jointly host the 2026 T20 World Cup.

“From there, the next 10 spots were determined by Super Eight qualifiers during the 2024 edition and the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings on the closing date of June 30,” the magazine said.

According to the ICC, the United States of America (USA), Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies qualified for the tournament as they all reached the Super 8 stage.

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“Despite missing out on the Super Eights, Babar Azam’s men have meanwhile secured their place in the next edition thanks to their T20I ranking (7th), alongside New Zealand (6th) and Ireland (11th),” the ICC added.

The remaining eight teams for the 2026 T20 World Cup, in which 20 teams will participate, will be determined by regional qualifiers.

The Men in Green were knocked out of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the group stage for the first time in their history after losing their opening two matches.

The team led by Babar Azam was first surprised by the United States in the match that was decided in the super over, followed by a defeat against India.

Pakistan defeated Ireland and Canada in the remaining matches, but that was not enough to progress to the Super 8 stage and were knocked out of the tournament.