Men’s T20I World Cup 2026: UAE Seals The Last Spot, All 20 Teams Are Ready

After defeating Japan by eight wickets in the Asia/East Asia-Pacific Qualifiers Super Six stage, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) advanced to the icc men's t20 world cup 2026 as the 20th and final team.

Nepal and Oman, who had already qualified from that same regional qualifier, were joined by the UAE.

Full List of Qualified Teams

 

Key Takeaways

• The UAE will be part of the T20 World Cup for the third time; they previously did it in 2014 and 2022.
• Their qualifying came after impressive displays in the Qualifier: they bowled out Japan and then set the target rapidly, clinching a top-three result in their region.
• There were several ways to qualify, including host places, placing highly in the 2024 tournament, ICC rankings, and regional qualifiers. This balance sustains competitiveness and helps up-and-coming teams to break through.

What To Watch For

• The expectation that the subs (teams like Italy, Nepal, and the UAE) can cause upsets is growing based on their performance on the main stage.
• With 20 teams divided into groups of five, seeding and the group draw will be particularly important. Each group's top two advance to the Super 8.
• While the qualifier teams are battle-hardened, they might not have as much experience as the teams that qualified through rankings vs. qualifiers.