Italy have made history by qualifying for the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup despite losing to the Netherlands at The Hague. This will be Italy’s first appearance at a cricket World Cup. The match between Italy vs Netherlands was crucial, but Italy managed to qualify due to a better net run-rate.
Italy posted 134 for 7 after choosing to bat. They lost early wickets, with both openers dismissed in the first three overs. Captain Joe Burns scored 22, while Marcus Campopiano fell cheaply. Ben Manenti held the innings together, supported by Grant Stewart (25) and Anthony Mosca (13*). Italy scored 33 runs in the last three overs, giving them a fighting total. Netherlands bowler Roelof van der Merwe took 3 for 15, including the key wicket of Burns.
In the chase, Netherlands started aggressively. Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt added 71 runs for the first wicket. Levitt scored 34 before being dismissed by Crishan Kalugamage. O’Dowd and captain Scott Edwards then finished the job with an unbeaten 64-run partnership. Netherlands chased the target in 16.2 overs, sealing their qualification alongside Italy.
The Italy vs Netherlands clash also impacted other teams. Scotland, regular participants in the T20 World Cup, were knocked out after losing to Jersey in a last-ball thriller. Jersey also missed out on qualification despite beating Scotland, as Italy edged them out on net run-rate. Both teams had five points, but Italy progressed thanks to their tighter bowling and batting efforts during the tournament.
Kalugamage impressed for Italy with figures of 1 for 25. Though Harry Manenti went wicketless in the final match, he finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with eight wickets.
Fifteen teams have now secured their spots for the 2026 T20 World Cup. With the conclusion of the Italy vs Netherlands match, only five qualification spots remain. Three will be filled from the East-Asia Pacific region, and two more from the Africa qualifier.
Read full match coverage of England vs India as Joe Root nears a century on a slow Lord’s pitch — Click here for details
