The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially confirmed its place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The UAE team, captained by Mohammad Wasim, qualified for the tournament by defeating Japan in the Asia/East Asia-Pacific (EAP) qualifier played in Oman. With this, UAE has become the 20th and last team to reach the T20 World Cup 2026. This World Cup will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February and March.
Second consecutive tournament with 20 teams
The 2026 T20 World Cup will be a 20-team tournament for the second consecutive time. This is part of the ICC’s plan, under which efforts are being made to spread the game to every corner of the world. Earlier this week, Nepal and Oman had already confirmed their top-3 spots, and with UAE’s win the entire lineup has now been decided.
Also read: ICC T20 Rankings: Team India’s dominance in T20 format, number-1 in bowling, batting, all-rounder
Great victory in the decisive match against Japan
In the important match of the Super Six stage against Japan, UAE maintained its dominance from the beginning. Japan’s innings could never recover from the fall of early wickets. Japan scored 116 runs thanks to wicketkeeper batsman Wataru Miyauchi (45 not out, 32 balls). In reply, UAE captain Mohammad Wasim (42 runs, 26 balls) and Alishan Sharafu (46 runs, 27 balls) achieved the target in just 13 overs. With this victory, not only UAE got the World Cup ticket but also ended the hopes of Japan, Qatar and Samoa.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 teams
India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Oman, UAE.
—- End —-
