Road to 2028: Pakistan secures direct qualification for ICC T20 World Cup
By Nawaz Gohar ; The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially confirmed that Pakistan is among the eight teams to have secured direct qualification for the T20 World Cup 2028.
According to the ICC, the teams that reached the Super 8 stage of the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 have automatically earned their places for the next edition. This elite group includes Pakistan, India, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and the West Indies.
The T20 World Cup 2028 is set to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. As co-hosts, Australia has also been granted automatic qualification. The tournament will maintain the 20-team format, continuing the ICC’s efforts to globalize the shortest format of the game.
Beyond the initial qualifiers, the ICC revealed that three additional teams will qualify directly based on their positions in the ICC T20 Rankings as of March 9. Currently, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Ireland are the frontrunners to claim these spots.
The remaining eight slots for the 20-team mega-event will be determined through a series of Regional Qualifiers, providing Associate nations a pathway to compete on the world stage.
