Men's T20 World Cup qualification

Men's T20 World Cup qualification
Administrator	International Cricket Council
Number of teams	87 (2026 qualification) ; 99 (overall)
Website	Official website
	2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualification

T20 World Cup qualification is the process national cricket teams go through to qualify for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The qualification process begins about two years prior to the main event, where teams take part in regional events to qualify for the World Cup.

History

For the inaugural edition in 2007, the ten full members qualified automatically, while the remaining two teams qualified via the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One.^[1] It was in 2008 that a separate qualifier was held for the T20 World Cup, and until the 2021 edition the full members of ICC qualified automatically for the tournament.

From the 2021 edition, stipulated number of top ranked teams from the previous tournament secured automatic qualification for the next tournament. This format of qualification also opened a window for the associate member nations to secure direct spot based on their previous performance.^[2]

The regional competitions for teams to qualify for the global qualifiers were introduced in 2012, as each ICC region conducted events in different stages.^[3] It was in the 2019 edition of qualifier, that each region had two stages of qualification process to get into the final qualifying tournament - Sub-regionals and Regional finals. In January 2019, ICC granted full Twenty20 International (T20Is) status to all its members, therefore all of the qualifier matches from this edition had full T20I status.^[4]

The 2022 edition of qualifier saw the introduction of a new format, as the final qualifier was held in two different tournaments (Qualifier A and B), the winners and runners-up of each of these tournaments qualified for the World Cup.^[5] Owing to COVID-19 pandemic, the EAP and Asia regional tournaments were cancelled and teams advanced via T20I rankings.^[6]^[7]

After the expansion of World Cup from 16 to 20 teams in 2024, qualification pathway was also changed. The regional tournaments served as the final qualifying stage, as each of the ICC region were allotted fixed number of berths at the World Cup.^[8]

Qualification berths by region

2007-2022

**Number of World Cup entrants from qualification tournament by region**
ICC region	2007	2009	2010	2012	2014	2016	2021	2022
Africa	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Americas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Asia	0	0	1	1	4	3	1	1
East Asia-Pacific	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Europe	1	2	1	1	2	3	3	2
Total entrants	2^[a]	2	2	2	6	6	6	4
Total berths in the World Cup	12	12	12	12	12	16	16	16

^ Kenya and Scotland qualified qualified via the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One

2024-present

**Number of berths allotted for each region (not including automatic qualifiers)**
ICC region	2024	2026	2028
Africa	2	2	TBD
Americas	1	1	TBD
Asia	2	3	TBD
East Asia-Pacific	1	3	TBD
Europe	2	2	TBD
Total berths	8	8	8
Total teams in the World Cup	20	20	20

First appearance in qualification by team

World Cup	Africa	Americas	Asia	East Asia-Pacific	Europe	Total
2009^[a]	Kenya	Canada Bermuda	none	none	Ireland Netherlands Scotland	6
2010	none	United States	Afghanistan United Arab Emirates	none	none	3
2012	Botswana Cameroon Eswatini Gambia Ghana Lesotho Malawi Mali Morocco^[b] Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone Seychelles Tanzania Uganda	Argentina Bahamas Belize Brazil Cayman Islands Chile Costa Rica Falkland Islands Mexico Panama Peru Suriname Turks and Caicos Islands	Bhutan Hong Kong Kuwait Malaysia Maldives Nepal Oman Saudi Arabia	Cook Islands Fiji Indonesia Japan Papua New Guinea Philippines Samoa South Korea Tonga^[c] Vanuatu	Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Gibraltar Greece Guernsey Isle of Man Israel Italy Jersey Luxembourg Malta Norway Portugal Slovenia Spain Sweden Turkey	74
2014	Saint Helena Zambia^[d]	none	Bahrain Singapore	none	none	4
2016	none	none	none	none	none	0
2021	none	none	China Myanmar Qatar Thailand	none	none	4
2022	Zimbabwe	none	none	none	Hungary Romania Serbia	4
2024	none	none	none	none	Switzerland	1
2026	Ivory Coast	none	Cambodia Mongolia	none	none	3
Total	22	16	18	10	33	99

Teams marked in italics had appeared in World Cup previously (either by qualifying via WCL or by having status of full member of ICC).

^ All the six teams previously participated in the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One which was part of qualification for the 2007 edition.
^ Morocco were expelled as ICC member in 2019.
^ Non-member of the ICC.
^ Zambia were expelled as ICC member in 2021.

Team performances

Only the teams that qualified automatically each time, and the performances of the other teams in the final qualifying tournament (global qualifier or regional final) are considered.

World Cup	20 07	20 09	20 10	20 12	20 14	20 16	20 21	20 22	20 24	20 26
Qualifying Tournament:	20 07	20 08	20 10	20 12	20 13	20 15	20 19	A /B	20 24	20 26
Africa
Kenya	1st	SF	R1	R1	R1	R1	R1		4th	TBD
Malawi										TBD
Namibia				SF	R1	R2	4th	P	1st	TBD
Nigeria							R1		5th	TBD
Rwanda									7th
South Africa	H	F	F	F	F	F	R	P	P	P
Tanzania									6th	TBD
Uganda				R1	R1			R1	2nd	TBD
Zimbabwe	F	w	F	F	F	F	s	1st	3rd	TBD
Americas
Bermuda	6th	6th					13th		2nd	TBD
Canada	4th	5th	R1	6th	12th	14th	9th	5th	1st	TBD
Cayman Islands									3rd	TBD
Panama									4th	TBD
United States			R1	12th	15th	10th		4th	H	P
West Indies	F	F	H	F	F	F	R	F	H	P
Asia
Afghanistan			1st	2nd	2nd	5th	R	P	R	P
Bahrain								6th	SF	TBD
Bangladesh	F	F	F	F	F	F	R	R	P	R
Hong Kong				11th	6th	4th	8th	6th	6th
India	F	F	F	F	F	H	R	P	P	H
Kuwait									7th	TBD
Malaysia									5th	TBD
Nepal				7th	3rd	12th		3rd	2nd	TBD
Oman				15th		6th	6th	4th	1st	TBD
Pakistan	F	F	F	F	F	F	R	P	P	R
Singapore							12th	8th	8th
Sri Lanka	F	F	F	H	F	F	R	P	P	H
United Arab Emirates			R2		4th	13th	7th	1st	SF	TBD
East Asia - Pacific
Australia	F	F	F	F	F	F	R	H	P	P
Japan									2nd	TBD
New Zealand	F	F	F	F	F	F	R	P	P	R
Papua New Guinea				8th	8th	8th	2nd	3rd	1st	TBD
Philippines								8th	4th
Samoa										TBD
Vanuatu									3rd
Europe
Austria									7th
Denmark				16th	16th				6th
England	F	H	F	F	F	F	R	P	P	P
Germany								7th	5th
Guernsey
Ireland	5th	=1st	2nd	1st	1st	3rd	3rd	2nd	2nd	R
Italy				10th	9th				3rd	TBD
Jersey						11th	10th	7th	4th	TBD
Netherlands	3rd	=1st	R2	4th	5th	=1st	1st	2nd	P	TBD
Scotland	2nd	3rd	R1	5th	7th	=1st	5th	P	1st	TBD

Key:

F	Team qualified for T20 World Cup automatically as Full Member of the ICC
H	Team qualified for T20 World Cup automatically as Host
P	Team qualified for T20 World Cup automatically by final position in previous tournament
R	Team qualified for T20 World Cup automatically via ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings
	Team qualified for T20 World Cup through the final qualifying tournament
R1/R2	Team reached First Round/Second Round in the final qualifying tournament
SF	Team reached Semi-Final in the final qualifying tournament (no third-place play-off)
1st/2nd/etc	Team finished 1st/2nd/etc in the final qualifying tournament
w	Withdrew from the final qualifying tournament
s	Suspended from entering
	Team failed to reach final qualifying tournament (eliminated in Sub-regionals or lower division)

References

^ A long way from home "... place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September ..." from Cricinfo, retrieved 9 April 2007
^ "Direct qualifiers for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 confirmed". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
^ "Sixteen teams to contest 2012 World T20 qualifiers". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
^ "All T20I matches to get international status". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
^ "ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 qualification process confirmed". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
^ "ICC's East-Asia Pacific qualifiers in Japan cancelled". CricBuzz. September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ "Hong Kong progress after cancellation of Asia B Qualifier for 2022 men's T20 World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
^ "Qualification for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 commences with pathway events launching in Europe". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 31 May 2022.

[9] Kenya and Scotland qualified qualified via the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One

[10] All the six teams previously participated in the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One which was part of qualification for the 2007 edition.

[11] Morocco were expelled as ICC member in 2019.

[12] Non-member of the ICC.

[13] Zambia were expelled as ICC member in 2021.

[1] A long way from home "... place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September ..." from Cricinfo, retrieved 9 April 2007

[ICCJan19-2] "Direct qualifiers for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 confirmed". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.

[3] "Sixteen teams to contest 2012 World T20 qualifiers". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 March 2012.

[4] "All T20I matches to get international status". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.

[5] "ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 qualification process confirmed". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 26 March 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.

[6] "ICC's East-Asia Pacific qualifiers in Japan cancelled". CricBuzz. September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

[7] "Hong Kong progress after cancellation of Asia B Qualifier for 2022 men's T20 World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 October 2021.

[ICC-8] "Qualification for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 commences with pathway events launching in Europe". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 31 May 2022.

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