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UAE Make Final

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have claimed their place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after an emphatic, eight-wicket victory over Japan in their Super Six clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Asia/East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier in Oman on Thursday.

Muhammad Waseem and his charges join Nepal and Oman as the three qualifiers of the regional qualification competition with guaranteed top three finishes before the tournament’s scheduled conclusion on Friday.

The 20 teams for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 are now finalized and they are as follows: India (tournament host), Sri Lanka (tournament host), Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Ireland, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa, UAE, USA, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The UAE eliminated hopefuls, Japan, Samoa and Qatar from contention, who were still in with a mathematical chance.

In the match, Japan were restricted to 116/9 after being put into bat by the UAE. Only Wataru Miyauchi – at number nine – made a significant contribution to the scoreboard, returning unbeaten for 45 off 32 deliveries. Other scores in the double figures came from Esam Rahman (23) and Abhishek Anand (10) at the top of the order and Abdul Samad (11 not out) at number 11.

The UAE’s Haider Ali (three for 20) and Muhammad Arfan (two for 24) did the most damage with the ball in hand, setting up a simple chase for their batters.

Openers, Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem did not disappoint, they shared a 70-run stand before it was broken by Declan Suzuki (one for 14) who removed the skipper, Waseem for 42 at the start of the eighth over.

Sharafu departed for 46 at the hands of Ibrahim Takahashi (one for 16) in the 11th over, but the foundation was firmly laid, giving Mayank Kumar (13 not out) and Rahul Chopra (14 not out) a smooth pathway to batting their team victory with 47 balls to spare.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Teams

Teams Qualification Path
India Tournament hosts
Sri Lanka Tournament hosts
Afghanistan Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
Australia Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
Bangladesh Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
England Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
South Africa Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
USA Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
West Indies Top 7 finish T20WC 2024
Ireland ICC Men’s T20 Team Rankings
New Zealand ICC Men’s T20 Team Rankings
Pakistan ICC Men’s T20 Team Rankings
Canada Americas Qualifier
Italy Europe Qualifier
Netherlands Europe Qualifier
Namibia Africa Qualifier
Zimbabwe Africa Qualifier
Nepal Asia/EAP Qualifier
Oman Asia/EAP Qualifier
UAE Asia/EAP Qualifier

 

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