Follow UsIt’s been 11 years since Italy last qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but they are now remarkably on the verge of qualifying for the Cricket World Cup.
Italy are currently top of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, having beaten Scotland, and a victory over the Netherlands tomorrow will seal T20WC 2026 qualification for them. They can still qualify if they lose, provided that neither Scotland nor Jersey surpasses their net run rate, which is the best among all teams currently.
Joe Burns, a former Australian Test batter, is now the captain of Italy, and he spoke about the ‘surreal’ feeling in the camp.
"I am really proud of the boys for this moment," Burns said, according to the ICC.
"To come and beat Scotland, who are a fantastic team, is a nice reward for the sacrifices our players, staff and federation have made.
"Hopefully, this is the stepping stone for a lot to come. It's a very emotional group at the moment. Being on the verge of a World Cup? It's very surreal."
Considering Italy are ranked 32nd in the world in T20Is, their reaching the T20WC 2026 would be a massive upset. They are currently ranked below teams like Saudi Arabia, Spain and Qatar.