Will Pakistan qualify automatically for 2026 T20 World Cup?

Pakistan cricket will take a long time to recover from the shock of their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign that got over almost as soon as it started.

A devastating Super Over defeat to co-hosts USA and a six-run loss to India put them firmly on the backfoot in a tournament format that afforded almost no room for mistakes. They were now at the mercy of other results going their way in order to progress to the Super Eight stage.

But once the USA v Ireland match in Florida on Friday got washed out, 2022 finalists Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament.

This is one of the lowest points in Pakistan cricket in modern times, especially because the T20 format is where Pakistan have diverted all their attention and resources to.

Some may argue the Pakistan Cricket Board should have seen this coming, especially after multiple structural changes in Pakistan's system, including team leadership, board management, captains and domestic structure. But still, it will be a tough pill to swallow for fans.

Now, the focus of Pakistan shifts to the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Well, not yet. The eight teams who qualify for this year's Super Eight stage automatically qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup. That means Australia, South Africa, India, West Indies, Afghanistan and USA have already booked their spots. Two more teams that make it to the next stage will qualify for the 2026 competition.

According to the rules, the Super Eight teams and the hosts qualify automatically to the next tournament. That means Sri Lanka will also definitely feature in the 2026 edition by virtue of being co-hosts. So in all, nine spots are booked as of now.

A total of 12 teams gain automatic entry into the 2026 tournament – the