Ireland and Scotland Secure Final Spots for 2026 Women's T20 World Cup Qualifiers

Ireland and Scotland have qualified for the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup through the qualification tournament held in Nepal. With Bangladesh and the Netherlands having already secured their places, the final two teams have been confirmed, completing the lineup of all 12 teams for the World Cup.

Host England, along with India, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies, had already secured direct entry into the World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in England and Wales in June-July 2026.

On the final day of qualification, Ireland secured their World Cup journey by defeating Thailand by 62 runs. Ireland, who won the toss and chose to bat first, scored 121 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Chasing the target, Thailand's batting collapsed, and the team was all out for just 59 runs in 16.1 overs.

For Ireland, Arlene Kelly took 4 wickets for 7 runs, while Lara Maritz took 3 wickets. Thailand's Nannapat Khoncharoenkai scored 15 and captain Naruemol Chaiwai scored 22 runs, but no other batter reached double figures.

Similarly, in another decisive match held in Kirtipur, Scotland secured their place in the World Cup by defeating the USA by 41 runs. Batting first, Scotland posted a massive score of 178 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 20 overs, aided by 52 runs from Darcy Carter and 43 runs from Aliya Lister.

Chasing a target of 179 runs, the USA was restricted to 137 runs in 19 overs. Although Chetna Pagdyala and Ella Claridge of the USA managed a fifty-run partnership, they could not secure the victory for the team. Katherine Bryce, Priyanaz Chatterjee, and Chloe Abel of Scotland took 2 wickets each.