T20 World Cup 2028 may see record participation as ICC mulls over extending team counts from 20 to ...

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering expanding the T20 World Cup to include 32 teams by the year 2028, a significant increase from the current format featuring 20 participating nations. This potential change was discussed during the ICC's Annual General Meeting held in Singapore. The next edition of the tournament, scheduled for 2026, will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and is anticipated to take place between February and March.

32 teams in T20 World Cup 2028?

Further details emerging from the ICC AGM, as reported by Forbes, indicate that the proposal to enlarge the T20 World Cup to a 32-team event is under serious consideration. A dedicated six-person group, spearheaded by an official from New Zealand Cricket, will be responsible for determining the selection process and inclusion of these additional teams in the 2028 edition.

“An expanded 32-team T20 World Cup has been mooted as a working group looks into cricket’s formats and major competitions. The six-man working group will be led by New Zealand’s Roger Twose and comprise bosses from the power nations India, Australia and England,” the Forbes report stated.

This discussion about expanding the tournament follows Italy's historic qualification for the T20 World Cup in 2026, marking their debut in the event. Italy, along with the Netherlands, successfully secured their spots in the prestigious tournament through the Europe Qualifier.

The recently concluded AGM addressed several significant matters, with final decisions being reached on Sunday.

Among the key topics discussed was the qualification process for the Los Angeles Olympics. It was proposed that regional rankings would largely determine the participating teams in the men's competition, scheduled to take place from July 12th to 29th in Pomona, located 30 miles east of Los Angeles. According to the proposal, the highest-ranked teams from Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa would secure automatic qualification. In addition to these regional qualifiers, the host nation, the United States, would also automatically qualify, representing the Americas.

Teams who have qualified for T20 World Cup 2026

So far a total of 15 teams have qualified for the T20 World Cup 2026 including the hosts India and Sri Lanka.

Here is the list:
India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Canada, Italy, Netherlands