T20 World Cup 2024: USA made it to the Super 8s of the tournament after a heroic performance in Group A. Monank Patel's team also booked an automatic berth in T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
USA cricket team qualfiied automatically for T20 World Cup in 2026 (AP Photo)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jun 15, 2024 00:28 IST
USA scripted history by reaching the Super 8s stage of T20 World Cup 2024 in their maiden appearance in the tournament. There was double delight for Monank Patel's team as it also qualified automatically for the T20 World Cup 2026 by virtue of becoming one of the top 8 teams in the ongoing edition of the premier show-piece T20 tournament.
The T20 World Cup in 2026 will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
USA featured in their first-ever major ICC tournament in men's cricket by virtue of being co-hosts of T20 World Cup 2024. Not many expected the side filled with expatriates to qualify for the next round in a group that had former champions India and Pakistan and Test-playing Ireland.
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However, USA chased down 195 against Canada in their first Group A game in Dallas, laying down an early marker. Then came the biggest upset of the tournament as USA stunned Pakistan in a Super Over thriller in New York earlier in the month. USA lost to India, but they managed to get 5 points in 4 matches after their final Group A game against Ireland was washed out due to rain in Florida with fortunate favouring the brave.
EXPLAINED: HOW USA QUALIFIED FOR T20 WORLD CUP 2026
Much like 2024, the 2026 edition of the men's T20 World Cup will also feature 20 teams.
There will be 12 automatic qualifiers and eight teams that qualify through regional qualifier tournaments.
The automatic qualifiers comprise hosts India and Sri Lanka, along with the top eight teams from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 -- the teams that make it to the Super 8s in 2024 will also earn their direct ticket to 2026 tournament.
The remaining spots (between two and four depending on where the hosts finish) will be determined by the next highest-ranked teams on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings table as at 30 June 2024, according to the ICC.
As it stands, there will be three more automatic sports that will be up for grabs as India qualified for the Super 8s while Sri Lanka failed to make it to the next round in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies.
It's been a dream run for USA, who have defied all odds to make it to the next round and book their place in the next edition. The popularity of the sport is set to grow in America, which is the biggest sports market in the globe.
Published By:
Akshay Ramesh
Published On:
Jun 15, 2024
English (US) ·