ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: The Journey of the Teams
Get ready for the most extensive ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in history, featuring more teams and matches than ever before.
For the first time, 20 nations will compete for the world title in the United States and West Indies, with 55 matches spread over four weeks of exhilarating action.
Let’s take a look at how each team earned their spot in this prestigious tournament.
The Hosts: West Indies and USA
As the host nations, West Indies and USA automatically qualified for the tournament. This will be the USA’s debut in the tournament.
The West Indies, two-time champions, will be hosting the competition for the second time, following their 2010 hosting stint which saw England triumph over Australia in the final.
The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, the 2010 final venue, will once again host this year’s final.
Automatic Qualifiers from 2022
The top eight teams from the last ICC Men’s T20 World Cup automatically qualified for this ninth edition of the tournament.
In the previous tournament held in Australia, England clinched their second title, with Ben Stokes leading the team to victory. Sam Curran, the Player of the Tournament, played a crucial role in limiting runners-up Pakistan to 137 in the final.
Semi-finalists India and New Zealand also secured their spots for 2024. India will aim to build on their 50-over triumph last year, while the Black Caps will be vying for their first T20 World Cup title.
The teams that finished third and fourth in the Super 12 groups also qualified. These include former champions Australia and Sri Lanka, two-time semi-finalists South Africa, and Netherlands, who achieved their best T20 World Cup finish in the last tournament.
Teams Ranked Next in T20I
Afghanistan and Bangladesh qualified due to their status as the next two highest teams in the T20I rankings.
Bangladesh, who came close to a few surprise victories in the previous tournament, will be looking to improve their performance. Afghanistan’s key players, Rashid Khan and Qais Ahmad, will be leveraging their experience from the US franchise tournament, Major League Cricket.
Regional Qualifiers
The remaining eight spots were filled by regional qualifiers, with Ireland and Scotland emerging from the European section.
Scotland hosted the regional finals in July 2023 and advanced through the group stages unbeaten. They were joined by Ireland, who secured their spot thanks to a crucial seven-run victory over Italy.
The East Asia-Pacific qualifiers saw Papua New Guinea record a perfect run to reach their second T20 World Cup.
Canada qualified from the Americas, edging past Bermuda on net run rate to make their debut in the main event.
Nepal and Oman qualified from Asia, defeating UAE and Bahrain respectively in the semi-finals. The thrilling final was shared between the two, with Oman emerging victorious after a Super Over.
Uganda made history by securing their place in the 20-team line-up. The Cricket Cranes overcame regional powerhouse Zimbabwe for their first-ever T20I win over a full-member team, earning them their first T20 World Cup appearance.
Namibia, who participated in the 2021 and 2022 editions, were the other team to qualify from the Africa Qualifier.