Italy Creates History by Qualifying for T20 World Cup 2026 Despite Loss to Netherlands
Italy created history by qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 for the first time, securing their place in the marquee event in India and Sri Lanka despite a loss to the Netherlands in The Hague on Friday. The Netherlands, too, confirmed their qualification after comfortably chasing down a 135-run target to win by nine wickets.
The final day of the Europe Qualifiers was filled with high drama, as all four competing teams—Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, and Jersey—had a shot at reaching the World Cup. Earlier in the day, Scotland, who had featured in the last four editions of the tournament, faced a heartbreaking exit after a last-ball defeat to Jersey. In a must-win encounter, Jersey pulled off a thrilling one-wicket victory by chasing a 134-run target on the final delivery of the match.
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Despite their win, Jersey was eliminated from the qualification race due to Italy’s superior net run rate. Both teams were tied on five points, but Italy needed to avoid a heavy defeat to stay ahead, which they managed by stretching the match deep into the Netherlands’ chase.
Batting first, Italy faced early setbacks as openers Justin Mosca and Emilio Gay were dismissed within the first three overs. Skipper Joe Burns added a quick 22 before falling in the seventh over, leaving Italy at 41/3. Their struggles continued when wicketkeeper Marcus Campopiano was dismissed cheaply, reducing them to 46/4 in the ninth over. However, late contributions from Benjamin Manenti (30 off 27 balls) and Grant Stewart (25 off 16) added valuable runs, helping Italy reach 134/7 by the end of their innings.
The Netherlands, needing a win to qualify, started strongly in response. Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd raced to 66/0 in the powerplay and added 81 runs for the opening partnership. Levitt was dismissed for 34 off 25 balls, but captain Scott Edwards ensured there were no further hiccups, partnering with O’Dowd in an unbeaten 64-run stand to seal the win in 16.2 overs.
With this result, both the Netherlands and Italy booked their spots in the 2026 T20 World Cup. As of now, 15 teams have secured qualification: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, India, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, USA, and West Indies. Three more teams will qualify through the Asia East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier, while two more will earn their spots via the Africa Qualifier.
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