Despite early exits, Pakistan and New Zealand are set to secure direct 2026 T20 World Cup spots
Contrary to recent speculations, despite the disappointing exits in the 2024 T20 World Cup for Pakistan and New Zealand, they will avoid the T20 World Cup qualification process in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar had previously suggested Pakistan might need to go through T20 World Cup qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, causing a stir amongst fans.
However, the qualification system allows both Pakistan and New Zealand, who suffered early exits, to secure direct entry into the 2026 World Cup.
India and Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the 2026 tournament, automatically qualify alongside all teams progressing to the Super 8s in the current edition. This includes India, South Africa, the West Indies, Afghanistan, Australia, and the USA.
With one spot remaining from Groups B and D, either Bangladesh or the Netherlands, and Scotland or England, will join the list. This brings the total to nine teams.
The remaining three spots will be filled by the highest-ranked nations (excluding the hosts and qualifiers) according to the ICC Men’s T20I rankings on June 30th, 2024. Pakistan (currently 7th) and New Zealand (currently 6th) hold a significant lead over other contenders like Bangladesh (9th) and Ireland (11th).