Afghanistan won a fierce Asia qualifier on Saturday, taking first place and becoming the most recent country to earn a spot in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 in Namibia and Zimbabwe thanks to their superior net run rate. The final round of matches in Kathmandu was called off due to rain.
Their campaign started out with commanding eight-wicket victories against Hong Kong China and Oman. They then defeated the UAE by 180 runs (D/L) thanks to a massive 359 for four, which put them in the lead going into Saturday’s winner-take-all match versus Nepal.
Fans had hoped for a spectacular finish to the competition, given the hosts were also having an undefeated week, but the Lower Mulpani stadium was unable to stage any games due to the ongoing rain.
Afghanistan’s net run rate of +4.82 was therefore sufficient to beat Nepal (+3.58) for first place and make their ninth appearance at an U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Top scorer Khalid Ahmadzai, the wicketkeeper-batter who won Player of the Tournament with 202 runs during the week, including an incredible 132 in the victory over the UAE, was also celebrated during the post-match festivities, which were headed by captain Mahboob Khan.
Afghanistan captain Mahboob said, “Being able to qualify for the World Cup is a dream come true,” in response to their qualification. Every Afghan should be proud of this moment. We gave it our all when we played, and today it paid off.
“This triumph is for our country and for all the young boys who aspire to don the Afghanistan jersey.” We are just getting started, but we are heading to the World Cup. We’re going to keep working harder, maintaining our humility, and striving for global recognition.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to my coaches, teammates, and the entire support crew. We celebrate together now because we stood together throughout difficult times.
Afghanistan’s victory makes them the most recent team to secure a spot in the 16-team field for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 next year.
As the top-ranked Full Member countries from the 2024 edition, ten teams were automatically eligible to compete. Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, and the West Indies are among them.
Zimbabwe, the 2026 edition’s Full Member hosts, has also guaranteed automatic qualification.
Only the winning team from each Regional Qualifier advances to the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026, with the other five seats being decided via regional qualification paths.
Afghanistan now joins Tanzania as the Asian victors, who earlier in the month became the first team to qualify through this path after winning the Africa Qualifier.
From April 24 to 29, Japan, Fiji, and PNG will battle for a spot in the World Cup in Sano, Japan, as the spotlight now turns to East Asia-Pacific.
India
