Italy have made history by qualifying for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, marking their first-ever appearance at a cricket World Cup. Despite a defeat to the Netherlands at The Hague.
The Netherlands also booked their place in next year’s showpiece event in India and Sri Lanka after chasing down Italy’s total of 134 with eight wickets in hand and 22 balls to spare. The victory also meant that Jersey, despite a dramatic one-wicket win over Scotland earlier in the day, failed to advance.
Italy and Jersey both ended the tournament with five points, but Italy progressed owing to a superior net run-rate. The Italians ensured their spot after taking the Dutch chase beyond the 15th over — enough to confirm their qualification before the game concluded.
Having opted to bat first, Italy’s innings got off to a shaky start. Openers Justin Mosca and Emilio Gay were dismissed within the first three overs, and captain Joe Burns’ departure in the seventh over left them reeling at 41 for 3. Marcus Campopiano fell cheaply soon after, but Ben Manenti anchored the innings with help from Grant Stewart (25 off 16) and Anthony Mosca (13 not out) to guide Italy to 134 for 7 in their 20 overs.
The Netherlands’ bowling effort was led by left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe, who finished with impressive figures of 3 for 15, including the crucial wicket of Burns.
In reply, the Dutch openers launched a blistering start. Max O'Dowd and Michael Levitt put on 71 for the opening wicket in just eight overs. Levitt struck 34 off 25 before falling to Crishan Kalugamage, who was Italy’s most effective bowler with 1 for 25 in four overs. O’Dowd (55 not out) and captain Scott Edwards (33 not out) then carried their side comfortably over the line with an unbroken 64-run stand.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s campaign ended in heartbreak as they suffered a dramatic one-wicket defeat against Jersey earlier in the day. Chasing 134, Jersey were cruising at 81 for 1 before collapsing to 129 for 9. However, skipper Charles Perchard and No. 11 Jake Dunford held their nerve to steal a last-ball win. Despite the victory, Jersey’s hopes were dashed by the outcome of the Netherlands-Italy match.
Scotland, who had featured in the last four editions of the T20 World Cup, were thus eliminated from the qualification race.
Italy’s historic qualification comes on the back of a collective team effort, highlighted by standout performances from Ben Manenti and Harry Manenti. The latter ended as the top wicket-taker in the Europe regional final, bagging eight wickets at an average of 9.62.
With Italy and the Netherlands joining, 15 teams have now sealed qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Three more will join from the East Asia-Pacific qualifiers, while the final two spots will be filled via the Africa regional qualifier.
The tournament in 2026 will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
