The T20 World Cup 2026 will begin in February, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Nepal, Oman and UAE have secured the last three available berths for next year’s T20 World Cup 2026 after qualifying from the ongoing East Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifier. A total of nine teams were in contention in the EAP Qualifier – Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, Japan, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.
Malaysia, Qatar, UAE, Japan, Kuwait, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa are the nine nations competing in the East Asia Pacific Qualifier.
The 2026 T20 World Cup will have a total of 20 teams. India and Sri Lanka have already booked their places as hosts. Along with them, the top seven teams from the previous World Cup have also qualified. These include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and the West Indies.
From the ICC T20I rankings, Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan have secured their spots. In the regional qualifiers, Canada advanced from the Americas, while Italy and the Netherlands made it from Europe. Zimbabwe and Namibia earned their places through the Africa qualifier, and three more teams will come from this East Asia Pacific qualifier.
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Nine teams are competing in the East Asia Pacific qualifier, divided into three groups of three teams each. Group A has Malaysia, Qatar, and the UAE. Group B includes Japan, Kuwait, and Nepal. Group C consists of Oman, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage. In the Super Six, each team will play four matches. The top three teams from this stage will qualify for the T20 World Cup.
The opening clash between the UAE and Qatar went to the 19th over for a target of 119 runs. However, Muhammad Waseem’s side grabbed two points. The lower NRR may come into effect towards the business end of the tourney. Nepal handed an above-par target of 141 to Kuwait, who were bundled out for 83 in 19 overs. Oman also recorded a huge win against Samoa, having chased down a target of 93 with five wickets in hand.
After losing against the UAE in the first match, Qatar managed to keep their chances alive with a comprehensive eight-wicket win against Malaysia today. Samoa too registered their first points, beating Papua New Guinea following their loss to Oman in the opener. For Kuwait, however, they suffered their second defeat in as many games and are out of contention.
Ahmad Faiz’s unbeaten half-century helped Malaysia put a fighting total of 161/5. But it was a cakewalk for Nepal as they completed the target with six wickets in hand and four balls to spare. Captain Muhammad Waseem starred with a 53-ball 84. A similar storyline followed after Japan managed 131/8, courtesy of captain Kendel Fleming’s 46-ball 60. But Nepal also registered their second win with five wickets in hand. Meanwhile, Oman suffered a top-order collapse before managing 138/7. Three-wicket hauls from Shakeel Ahmed and Jiten Ramanandi helped Oman bundle out PNG for 86 runs in 16.4 overs.
Oman clinched an easy win against Qatar by 34 runs. They started the Super Six with a comfortable seat and a higher NRR at the top of the table. Japan took the second spot with another narrow four-run win against Samoa.
Nepal, on the other hand, won by one run against the UAE. Rohit Paudel & Co set 140 on the board. With Dipendra Singh Airee’s three-wicket haul, the fight went down to the wire. Despite the win, their NRR will come into play.
After UAE’s win against Samoa today, Nepal and Oman have qualified for the T20 World Cup 2026. Both teams currently sit atop the Super Six points table after being unbeaten so far and have guaranteed a top-three finish.
With two more spots confirmed, there now remains one available berth for next year’s ICC event which can be taken by either Japan, UAE, or Qatar.
UAE booked their spot after defeating Japan by a big margin of eight wickets in their final Super Six match to assure top-three spot. They currently occupy the second position in the points table. However, the top three can get rearranged in the final standings with Nepal and Oman yet to play their final games.
| Teams | Matches | Wins | Losses | Points | NET RUN RATE |
| Nepal | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | +0.745 |
| UAE | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | +1.493 |
| Oman | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | +0.281 |
| Qatar | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -0.597 |
| Japan | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -0.997 |
| Samoa | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -1.840 |
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | No Result/Tie | Points | NRR |
| UAE | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +0.584 |
| Qatar | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +0.225 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -0.873 |
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | No Result/Tie | Points | NRR |
| Nepal | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.834 |
| Japan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0.309 |
| Kuwait | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1.576 |
| Teams | Matches | Won | Lost | No Result/Tie | Points | NRR |
| Oman | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.874 |
| Samoa | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0.302 |
| Papua New Guinea | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -1.574 |
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