Following their triumph in Rome, Italy qualifies in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Qualification

In Sunday’s quarterfinal match, Italy’s home team trounced Romania by a commanding 160 runs to secure the Europe Sub Regional Qualifier A title. First up on the qualification route for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026 was this event.

Thanks to a 160-run triumph over fellow finalists Romania in Rome on June 16, Italy won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Sub Regional Qualifier A.

The host team won handily at the Simar Cricket Ground to secure their place in the next qualification round, the Europe Qualifier for 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. This tournament represented the first qualification pathway event leading to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Italy, who had defeated Luxembourg, France, Isle of Man, and Türkiye, and Romania, who had previously in the group stage defeated Austria, Portugal, Hungary, and Israel, faced off in a winner-take-all match.

Italy’s batting line-up on Sunday was stunning, led by openers Joe Burns and Justin Mosca, who combined for a century opening partnership that featured Burns’ game-winning 108 not out in 55 balls.

After being placed to bat, the duo set the stage for Italy to overcome an outstanding Romanian attack that had already dismissed three of its four opponents on route to the championship game, scoring an astounding 244 for four in their 20 overs, the highest team total of the tournament.

Romania’s reply was impressive, too, with a 49-run opening partnership. But, when seamer Harry Manenti removed opener Taranjeet Singh, the chase collapsed quickly, with all ten wickets falling in 35 runs, leaving the visitors all out for 84.

Two of the Italian bowling attack’s highlights were pacer Tom Draca, who took two wickets for seventeen, and spinner Crishan Kalugamage, who took three wickets for twelve in his four overs.

Thanks to their convincing win, Italy will move on to the Europe Qualifiers for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

When it mattered, the entire team performed: captain Gareth Berg

“We’re delighted to have got through this event undefeated,” Italy captain Gareth Berg stated following their triumph. When it counted, every member of the team did their bit and contributed.

We are just getting started on our trip. Our ultimate goal as a squad is to qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and we have high expectations. We have the group’s quality to keep progressing, so we just need to put in a lot of effort and keep getting better. We’re already excited about the Europe Qualifier next year.

Andrew Wright, Regional Development Manager for ICC Europe, continued, “We are happy for Italy’s triumph on home soil as it advances them to our European Qualifiers next year. It’s quite an accomplishment to have won every game in this competition, and their attacking style of cricket was fascinating to watch all week.

“All ten teams’ performances during this tournament provide witness to the growth of the game in Europe and the general improvement in quality of play.

“Thank you to all the match officials, ground crew, volunteers, and Federazione Cricket Italiana for making this such a great event here in Rome.”

Next, Germany’s Europe Sub Regional Qualifier B will host Italy.

Next up on the qualification schedule for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is the Europe Sub Regional Qualifier B, which will take place in Germany. Ten more countries from the region will be competing there to earn a position in the Europe Qualifier the following year.

There will be 20 teams competing in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026: 12 automatic qualifiers and 8 teams who advance via regional pathway competitions.

Hosts India and Sri Lanka, as well as the top eight teams from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, are the automatic qualifiers. The remaining spots—between two and four, depending on where the hosts finish—are awarded to the next-highest teams on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings table as of June 30, 2024.

Three tournaments are being held in the region this year to determine which teams will compete in the Europe Qualifier the following year, including the Europe Sub Regional Qualifier A. Comparably, later in 2024, Sub Regional Qualifiers will take place in various ICC areas, and in 2025, the corresponding Regional Finals will take place.