Eight teams have secured direct qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 after finishing in the top four of their groups at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England.
The 2028 tournament will be held in Pakistan, and the group-stage results from this year’s World Cup have already decided eight of the 10 teams that will qualify automatically.
From Group A, Australia, India, South Africa and Bangladesh have all booked their places in the next Women’s T20 World Cup after finishing among the top four teams in the standings.
From Group B, England, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka have also confirmed their qualification after ending the group stage in the top four.
Sri Lanka became the final team to qualify after beating Scotland in a thrilling last-over match at Old Trafford on June 26 (Friday).
The match went right down to the final over before Sri Lanka completed the chase. Captain Chamari Athapaththu led from the front once again, while Nilakshika Silva stayed calm under pressure and guided her team to an important victory.
The win not only kept Sri Lanka’s hopes alive in the current tournament but also guaranteed them a direct place in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028.
Pakistan already have a place in the 2028 tournament as the host nation. That means only one direct qualification spot is still available. The final automatic place will go to the highest-ranked team in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings that has not already qualified. The rankings will be confirmed using the official cut-off date of July 6, 2026.
At the moment, Ireland are in the best position to claim that final direct qualification place. They are currently ranked ninth in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings with 201 rating points, putting them ahead of the other teams still fighting for qualification.
The qualification system for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 was announced earlier this month after it was approved by the ICC Board during its meeting in Ahmedabad.
The system rewards teams that perform well during the current Women’s T20 World Cup by giving them a direct place in the next edition of the tournament.
The ICC has also confirmed how teams will qualify for the first-ever ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, which will be held in Sri Lanka next year.
They will be joined by the five highest-ranked teams in the ICC Women’s T20I Team Rankings at the same July 6, 2026, cut-off date. Based on the current rankings, those teams are Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa.
However, the final list of teams will only become official after the ICC releases the updated Women’s T20I rankings following the July 6 cut-off. With the group stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 now completed, several teams have already secured their future in the next global tournament.
Australia, India, South Africa, Bangladesh, England, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka can now focus on finishing their 2026 World Cup campaign strongly, knowing they have already qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2028 in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Ireland and the remaining teams will wait for the updated ICC Women’s T20I rankings to find out who claims the final automatic qualification spot for the tournament.
Loves all things female cricket