Italy secured their maiden qualification for a cricket World Cup on Thursday, booking a place in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite defeat to the Netherlands at The Hague.
The landmark moment for Italian cricket came courtesy of a superior net run-rate, allowing them to edge out Jersey and Scotland in a closely fought Europe Region Final. Netherlands, who chased down 135 with ease, also advanced to next year’s tournament to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Scotland, a regular feature at the last four T20 World Cups, were eliminated after a dramatic last-ball loss to Jersey. Jersey’s narrow win raised hopes of qualification, but Italy's ability to avoid a heavy defeat in the final fixture proved decisive.
Italy had only one job, to prevent the Dutch from racing to the target in fewer than 14.2 overs. That objective was achieved by the 15th over, ensuring their passage to the global stage.
Electing to bat, Italy found themselves in early trouble. Openers Justin Mosca and Emilio Gay fell cheaply, and skipper Joe Burns followed for 22 in the seventh over, leaving the Italians reeling at 41 for 3. Marcus Campopiano’s dismissal made it 46 for 4 in the ninth, but Ben Manenti held the innings together with a defiant knock.
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Manenti was assisted by lower-order contributions from Grant Stewart (25 off 16) and Anthony Mosca (13 not out), with the side managing to push their score to a competitive 134 for 7. Netherlands’ left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe starred with the ball, claiming 3 for 15 in four overs.
The chase began with a flurry. Max O’Dowd and Michael Levitt put on 66 in the powerplay and extended the stand to 71 before Levitt was dismissed by Crishan Kalugamage for 34. O’Dowd and captain Scott Edwards ensured no further hiccups, stitching together an unbeaten 64-run partnership to secure Netherlands’ victory in 16.2 overs.
Although Harry Manenti went wicketless, he emerged as the top wicket-taker of the Europe regional final with eight scalps at an average of 9.62 and an economy of 7.70 from three matches.
For Jersey, their first-ever T20 win over Scotland was bittersweet. Chasing 134, they were cruising at 81 for 1 before a sudden collapse left them eight wickets down for 48 runs. With five runs needed off the final four balls, captain Charles Perchard and No. 11 Jake Dunford kept their nerve to edge Jersey over the line, but it was not enough to see them through.
With Italy and the Netherlands qualifying, 15 teams have now booked their berth at the 2026 edition. Three more will come through the East-Asia Pacific qualifier and two more from the Africa qualifier.
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