UAE seal final qualification spot for T20 World Cup 2026

The announcement of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was achieved by a resounding win over Japan in their last game during the Asia/East Asia-Pacific Qualifier held in Oman. This made them the 20 th and last team to qualify to the tournament which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka together between February 6 and March 7 next year. The UAE under captain Muhammad Waseem proved very calm and talented and established themselves as one of the best cricketing countries in the world.

In this new edition, 20 teams will be involved again, which indicates the intention of the ICC to spread the scope of the sport all around the world. Nepal and Oman had already qualified earlier in the week, and UAE won against Japan decisively meaning that they would participate as the third representative of the Asia–EAP.

In the must-win Super Six match, UAE started strong with disciplined bowling. Japan’s batting lineup collapsed early after key dismissals, including a sharp run-out by Muhammad Farooq and an excellent spell from Haider Ali, who took 3/12 in just three overs. Japan struggled throughout the Powerplay and managed only 116 runs in their innings.

The chase was trifled with by the openers of UAE, Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu. They were on the offensive and scored in the first three overs 36 runs. Waseem blasted 42 out of 26 balls and Sharafu contributed 46 out of 27 and enabled UAE to win the match in only 13 overs. This not only secured UAE a place in the world cup but also eliminated the chances of Japan, Qatar and Samoa to qualify.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Teams