Will Pakistan qualify automatically for 2026 T20 World Cup?
Pakistan cricket will take a long time to recover from the shock of their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign that was over almost as soon as it started.
A devastating Super Over defeat to co-hosts USA and a six-run loss to India put them firmly on the backfoot in a tournament format that afforded almost no room for mistakes. They were now at the mercy of other results going their way in order to progress to the Super Eight stage.
But once the USA v Ireland match in Florida on Friday was washed out, 2022 finalists Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament.
This is one of the lowest points in Pakistan cricket in modern times, especially because the T20 format is where Pakistan have diverted all their attention and resources to.
USA stunned Pakistan in Super Over to pull off a memorable victory in their T20 World Cup clash at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas on Thursday, June 6, 2024. AP
USA's Nitish Kumar hit a boundary off the last ball of the chase to force a Super Over. AFP
Pakistan's player celebrate dismissing USA Captain Monank Patel during their T20 World Cup match at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium. AFP
USA captain Monank Patel celebrates his fifty against Pakistan at the Grand Prairie Stadium. AP
USA's Monank Patel, left, and Andries Gous guided the hosts' chase on Thursday. AFP
Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi hits a quickfire 23 to rescue the innings. AP
Jasdeep Singh of the United States celebrates dismissing Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam. AFP
USA's Noshtush Kenjige after the dismissal of Pakistan's Shadab Khan in Texas. AP
Muhammad Ali-Khan celebrates with teammates after the dismissing Pakistan's Fakhar Zaman. AP
Some may argue the Pakistan Cricket Board should have seen this coming, especially after multiple structural changes in Pakistan's system, including team leadership, board management, captains and domestic structure. But still, it will be a tough pill to swallow for fans.
Now, the focus of Pakistan shifts to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.
Have Pakistan qualified for 2026 T20 World Cup?
Well, not yet. The eight teams who qualify for this year's Super Eight stage automatically qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup. That means Australia, South Africa, India, West Indies, Afghanistan and USA have already booked their spots. Two more teams that make it to the next stage will qualify for the 2026 competition.
According to the rules, the Super Eight teams and the hosts qualify automatically to the next tournament. That means Sri Lanka will also definitely feature in the 2026 edition by virtue of being co-hosts. So in all, nine spots are booked as of now.
A total of 12 teams gain automatic entry into the 2026 tournament – the Super Eight teams, co-hosts and top ranked teams outside of the first two sets. As things stand, the remaining top three ranked teams after the final on June 29 will qualify for the 2026 edition.
Pakistan look safe in that regard as they are currently ranked seventh in the ICC rankings. New Zealand, who also did not qualify for the Super Eight, are placed one spot above them. So these teams should grab two of three automatic spots for the next tournament.
The only hypothetical danger to Pakistan's automatic qualification chances is if England somehow don't qualify for the Super Eight stage, Bangladesh don't qualify either but improve their rankings and Pakistan's ranking sinks further in case they lose to Ireland in their final group game on Sunday.
In that scenario – which is highly unlikely – England, New Zealand and Bangladesh will qualify automatically to the 2026 T20 World Cup and Pakistan will have to play qualifiers. However, the chances of that happening appear very slim as victory over Ireland on Sunday should secure entry into the next World Cup for the South Asian side.
Also, if England qualify for the Super Eight stage, Pakistan's path to the 2026 World Cup will be straightforward.