T20 World Cup: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed the first 12 of the total 20 teams for the next edition of the T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand in 2028. While nine of these aren’t surprising, given most are pretty much power-houses of cricket, the remaining three have particularly raised eyebrows, having made it through despite underperforming at the current edition of the coveted tournament.
These are none other than Bangladesh, Ireland, and Afghanistan, who have made it through to the next T20 World Cup via a mix of past performances and sheer luck. With that said, let’s take a look them all and how each qualified.
T20 World Cup 2028: All Qualified Teams So Far
As mentioned, 12 out of the planned 20 teams for the ICC T20 World Cup 2028 have been confirmed. The first eight are India, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, England, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
These teams have qualified for the next T20 World Cup on the basis of their qualification to the Super 8s stage in this year’s tournament.
Australia, despite a group stage exit, qualifies as co-host nation.
The rest are Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland.
How Did Bangladesh, Ireland, Afghanistan Qualify?
Bangladesh, Ireland and Afghanistan have secured their places at the T20 World Cup 2028 through the ICC rankings pathway. The three teams qualified as the highest-ranked sides outside of those already confirmed for the tournament.
The road to qualification through ranking has a cutoff date of March 9, 2026. However, since there are no international T20 matches scheduled before that deadline (apart from the Super 8 teams), their current positions in the rankings will remain unchanged, effectively sealing their qualification.
This means their entry into the 2028 tournament is now a formality, with no possibility of movement in the standings before the qualification window officially closes.
