Namibia defeated Tanzania by 63 runs in the first semifinal of the Africa Regional Qualifier in Harare on Thursday, October 2, making them the 16th team to earn a spot in the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be contested jointly in India and Sri Lanka.
One more team will make it to the world event from the African qualification tournament. Later on Thursday, Zimbabwe and Kenya will square off in the second semifinal; the victor will guarantee the final African berth in the main tournament the following year. The qualifier final is set for Saturday; however, since both finalists will have already earned their tickets, the outcome will not affect qualification.
Fifteen teams had previously confirmed their participation in the 20-team event prior to Namibia’s qualification. The Asia and East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, which begins in Oman on October 8, will fill the final three berths. Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Samoa, and the United Arab Emirates are among the teams vying for these spots.
Namibia will compete at a T20 World Cup for the fourth time next year, having done so in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
The team’s most memorable performance occurred in 2022 when they pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Sri Lankan cricket history. Now that they have qualified, Namibia is looking forward to the international competition in the hopes of improving on their past results and leaving a lasting impression.
The complete list of teams that made it to the 2026 T20 World Cup:
The United States of America (Super Eight), Pakistan (ICC Rankings), New Zealand (ICC Rankings), Ireland (ICC Rankings), Canada (Americas Regional Final), the Netherlands (Europe Regional Final), Italy (Europe Regional Final), Namibia (Africa Regional Final), Afghanistan (Super Eight), Australia (Super Eight), Bangladesh (Super Eight), England (Super Eight), South Africa (Super Eight), West Indies (Super Eight), and Sri Lanka (host)
India
