Rome [Italy], June 8 (ANI): While the eyes of the world may be fixed on the early stages of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies, elsewhere in Europe the journey begins to determine the participating nations in the 2026 edition, with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub Regional Qualifier A set to commence in Rome on Sunday.
Representing the first qualification event on the road to India and Sri Lanka in 2026, two venues in the Italian capital will play host to ten teams hoping to advance to the next round of qualification - the Europe Qualifier - to be held next year.
A total of 24 matches will take place across seven days of competition, with the action split between the Roma Cricket Ground and the Simar Cricket Ground, as hosts Italy prepare to welcome Austria, France, Hungary, Isle of Man, Israel, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and Turkiye.
Teams will go head-to-head in a round-robin format across two groups of five. Following the group fixtures, playoff matches will take place on Sunday 16 June, including a winner-takes-all affair between the top teams in either group, in what is effectively a final, with the chance to extend their qualification journey at stake.
With the ongoing Men's T20 World Cup having already showcased the competitiveness of emerging cricket nations, Rome is set to witness the next crop of exciting teams that could take the world by storm in 2026.
"ICC Europe are delighted to be opening our incredibly exciting summer of International Cricket with this ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 qualification event in Rome. The ten participating teams have all been working hard through the winter to ready themselves, and the standard of competition has never been higher across the continent," said ICC Regional Development Manager for Europe, Andrew Wright as quoted by their official website.
"Italy, the hosts, have done a fantastic job in preparing for the event at the two beautiful grounds in Rome and the ICC wish to thank all the staff, support team and volunteers at Federazione Cricket Italiana who have worked so hard to make the event a big success. Grazie mille and we hope you enjoy the cricket," Andrew Wright added.
"Federazione Cricket Italiana is honoured to welcome the nine participating countries, plus our own national team, to Rome to compete in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub Regional Qualifier A. We are proud to be hosting such a prestigious tournament in one of the most iconic cities in the world. The choice of Italy, and in particular the city of Rome as the host venue for this event confirms the growing interest and confidence in the potential of cricket development in our country," President of Federazione Cricket Italiana, Fabio Marabini said.
"We are extremely grateful to the ICC for the opportunity to host this event, to the Italian Government, to the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI), and to Sport e Salute for their ongoing support of cricket in Italy, and to all the venues, staff and volunteers who will be working hard to deliver a fantastic ten days of cricket. I look forward to seeing what promises to be an exceptional festival of cricket, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Best of luck to all the teams," Fabio Marabini added.
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 will feature 20 teams, with 12 automatic qualifiers and eight teams that qualify through regional pathway events.
The automatic qualifiers comprise hosts India and Sri Lanka, along with the top eight teams from the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 with the remaining spots (between two and four depending on where the hosts finish) determined by the next highest ranked teams on the ICC Men's T20I rankings table as at 30 June 2024.
The Europe Sub Regional Qualifier A is one of three events taking place in the region this year to determine the teams that will compete in next year's Europe Qualifier. Similarly, Sub Regional Qualifiers will be held across other ICC regions later in 2024, with their respective regional finals also being held in 2025.
Fixtures:
Sunday 9 June
Italy v Luxembourg, Roma Cricket Ground
Portugal v Hungary, Simar Cricket Ground
Isle of Man v France, Roma Cricket Ground
Austria v Romania, Simar Cricket Ground
Monday 10 June
Israel v Austria, Roma Cricket Ground
Turkiye v Isle of Man, Simar Cricket Ground
Romania v Portugal, Roma Cricket Ground
France v Italy, Simar Cricket Ground
Wednesday 12 June
Italy v Isle of Man, Roma Cricket Ground
Portugal v Austria, Simar Cricket Ground
Luxembourg v Turkiye, Roma Cricket Ground
Hungary v Israel, Simar Cricket Ground
Thursday 13 June
Hungary v Romania, Roma Cricket Ground
Luxembourg v France, Simar Cricket Ground
Israel v Portugal, Roma Cricket Ground
Turkiye v Italy, Simar Cricket Ground
Saturday 15 June
Isle of Man v Luxembourg, Roma Cricket Ground
Austria v Hungary, Simar Cricket Ground
Romania v Israel, Simar Cricket Ground
Sunday 16 June
A2 v B2 (3rd place playoff), Roma Cricket Ground
A4 v B4 (7th place playoff), Simar Cricket Ground
A1 v B1 (Final), Roma Cricket Ground
A3 v B3 (5th place playoff), Simar Cricket Ground. (ANI)
