united arab emirates Men’s cricket team has secured a place in the finals ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 After an emphatic win by eight wickets Japan In Asia/East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier Held in Al Emerat, Oman on Thursday. With this result, the full 20-team lineup for the global tournament, which will be co-hosted by India And Sri Lankais now officially complete
UAE dominates Japan to clinch final spot
UAE produced a brilliant all-round performance to confirm their qualification. UAE, bowling first, restricted Japan to a modest score of 116 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Haider Ali Performed brilliantly with the ball and took three wickets for just 20 runs. muhammad irfan Provided key assists with two out of 24. Japan’s resistance came mainly from the lower-order batsmen Wataru MiyauchiWho played a spirited unbeaten inning of 45 runs in 32 balls and took his team to a respectable score after an initial struggle against the disciplined bowling of UAE.
In reply, UAE’s opening pair- Alishan Sharafu And Muhammad Wasim – Created the atmosphere with a stormy partnership of 70 runs. Wasim played a quickfire inning of 42 runs in 26 balls, while Sharafu led the innings with 46 runs in 27 balls. His effort ensured a direct goal, as well Mayank Kumar And Rahul Chopra Completed the win with only 12.1 overs and 47 balls remaining. The win propelled UAE into the top three in the qualifiers standings Nepal And oman Three teams have to secure their place in the World Cup through the Asia/EAP qualification route.
This will be the UAE’s third appearance at the ICC T20 World Cup, following previous qualifications in 2014 and 2022. Their steady improvement in associate cricket has made them one of the strongest teams outside the Full Member nations, and the win over Japan underlined their growing depth and experience under pressure.
Full 20-team lineup for T20 World Cup 2026
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will feature 20 teams, divided into four groups of five, replicating the format used for the 2024 edition. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage before the semi-finals and final. Including co-hosts India and Sri Lanka, automatic qualifiers Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, AmericaAnd west indiesBased on their 2024 performance. ireland, pakistanAnd new zealand Qualified through the ICC T20I Rankings, while the regional qualifiers gave rise to seven new entrants: Canada from America, Italy and Netherlands from Europe, Namibia and Zimbabwe from Africa, and from Nepal, Oman and UAE from the Asia/EaP region.
The inclusion of emerging countries such as Italy and Nepal reflects the rapid globalization of cricket and the success of the regional qualification pathway in providing opportunities for associate teams to perform on the world stage. With the UAE claiming the final ticket, fans can now look forward to a truly global competition that promises new narratives and competitive matchups in 2026.
Also read: AUS vs IND: Aakash Chopra chose India’s playing eleven for the first ODI against Australia
