Still chasing a place in the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the team has extra motivation to get the job done. A place in the top eight guarantees direct qualification for the next T20 World Cup in 2026.
The next edition will include 20 such teams, with 12 automatic qualifiers. The two co-hosts India (who qualified for the Super Eight) and Sri Lanka (who did not) and the other teams in the Super Eight in 2024 (seven excluding India), as of 30 June 2024, these are the top 10 in the ICC’s T20I rankings. There are 12 other top 3 teams. The remaining eight spots will be determined through the ICC’s regional qualifying route.
But that doesn’t mean doom for some active members who have already been eliminated from contention this year. Sri Lanka automatically qualified as co-hosts, while England will advance to the qualifiers based on their ICC rankings even if they lose to Scotland. The same goes for Pakistan and New Zealand. England, New Zealand and Pakistan are currently ranked 4th, 6th and 7th respectively, so they are far better than any other team that would have to rely on their rankings. Depending on other results, Ireland, ranked 11th, could also make it through the rankings.
*This article was updated after the United States qualified for the Super Eight.
