In a dramatic conclusion to the Europe Regional Final in The Hague, Italy created history by securing qualification for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Although they lost their final group match to hosts Netherlands, Italy progressed to next year’s global tournament—co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka—thanks to a superior net run-rate over Jersey. Netherlands, too, sealed their spot by chasing down the Italian target in 16.2 overs.
Italy qualify for T20 World Cup despite defeat
Needing only to avoid a heavy defeat to stay ahead of Jersey in the net run-rate equation, Italy ensured they crossed the qualification line during the 15th over of Netherlands’ chase. Though the Dutch eventually won by eight wickets, Italy’s calculated effort to drag the match deep proved crucial.
Earlier, Italy opted to bat but suffered early setbacks. Openers Justin Mosca and Emilio Gay were dismissed inside three overs, followed by captain Joe Burns in the seventh over. With the scoreboard reading 46/4 at the halfway mark, the innings seemed to be collapsing. However, a gritty effort by Ben Manenti, supported by Grant Stewart and Anthony Mosca, lifted Italy to 134/7. Roelof van der Merwe starred with the ball for Netherlands, finishing with 3/15.
While Italy couldn’t defend the total, their resilience with the bat and disciplined fielding effort meant the margin of defeat was small enough to keep them above Jersey in the standings. It will be the first time that Italy feature in a senior men’s ICC World Cup event.
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Netherlands join Italy in 2026 line-up
Netherlands, who had already been consistent throughout the qualifier, left no doubts about their World Cup credentials. They stormed to 66 runs without loss in the powerplay during their chase. Openers Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt put on a 71-run partnership before Levitt departed for 34. O’Dowd then joined forces with captain Scott Edwards to complete the job with ease, as the Dutch secured victory with 22 balls to spare.
With that, Netherlands locked in their place for the 2026 T20 World Cup alongside Italy. For Jersey, their spirited last-ball win over Scotland earlier in the day was not enough, as their net run-rate fell short.
Fifteen teams have now qualified for the 2026 tournament. Three more will join via the East Asia-Pacific qualifiers, and two further spots remain from the Africa leg.
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