Dubai, Jul 12: International Cricket Council Chairman Jay Shah has congratulated the Netherlands and Italy for qualifying for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka next year.

Italy has scripted history by securing a maiden berth in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 despite their nine-wicket loss to the Netherlands in the final match of the European Qualifiers at the Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague.

"An amazing result for @KNCBcricketand @FedCricket, qualifying for the @ICC Men's @T20WorldCup 2026 through the Europe Qualifier. For Italy, it will be their first-ever appearance at the tournament that India will defend early next year. Well done to both teams!" said Jay Shah in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

This marks the first time the Italian men’s cricket team will feature at a senior ICC world event—an unprecedented achievement in the nation’s cricketing journey.

The breakthrough came during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, where Italy stunned more established sides with their clinical performances.

Notably, they notched up convincing wins over Guernsey and a major scalp in Scotland, one of Europe’s strongest associate teams. With those victories, Italy became the 13th team to confirm qualification for the 2026 tournament.

Despite Jersey pulling off a shock win over Scotland earlier in the day, it was Italy’s superior net run-rate that proved decisive. Ranked 32nd in the world, Italy finished level on five points with Jersey but edged ahead to secure their berth.

The Netherlands followed soon after to secure their own qualification, leaving just six spots up for grabs. Those remaining berths will be decided through the upcoming regional qualifiers. Two spots will be filled by teams from the Africa region, one from the Americas, and three from the Asia/East Asia-Pacific region.

The 2026 edition will be the biggest T20 World Cup yet, featuring 20 teams—bringing together the best of the full members and emerging forces from associate cricket. Hosts India and Sri Lanka gained automatic entry, as did Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the West Indies, and the United States, by virtue of reaching the Super Eight stage in the previous edition.

(IANS)

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