Nepal’s journey to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will begin in the Asian region qualifiers. While they missed out on direct qualification based on rankings, Nepal will aim to secure a spot through this process.
The exact date and location of the qualifiers are yet to be confirmed. However, Nepal, along with Oman, have already qualified for the final stage of the Asia qualifiers by virtue of their performance in the 2024 World Cup.
The remaining four qualifiers will emerge from two separate tournaments: Asia Qualifier A and Asia Qualifier B.
Asia Qualifier A:
- Participating Teams: Malaysia, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Singapore.
- Dates: August 30th – September 9th, 2024
- Format: Round Robin
- Top Two Teams Advance to Asia Region Finals
Asia Qualifier B (Details to be confirmed):
- Participating Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Bhutan, and China.
- Format (to be confirmed): Round Robin (expected)
- Top Two Teams Advance to Asia Region Finals
Asia Region Finals:
- Participating Teams: Nepal, Oman, Top Two from Qualifiers A & B
- Format: Group Stage followed by Semi-Finals and Finals
- Top Two Teams qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup
Already Qualified Teams (12):
- India & Sri Lanka (Hosts)
- Top 7 from T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, USA, West Indies
- Top Teams in T20I Rankings (as of June 30, 2024): Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan
Remaining Teams (8):
- Asia Region Qualifiers (2)
- Europe Qualifiers (2)
- East Asia Pacific Qualifier (1)
- Americas Qualifier (1)
- Africa Qualifiers (2)
Nepal will have to battle through the qualifiers to book their spot in the 2026 T20 World Cup. The upcoming Asian region qualifiers will be a crucial test for the team, requiring them to finish among the top two to secure their place on the global stage.
