Five Nations Battle for 2026 T20 World Cup Spots
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025 begins Saturday in Voorburg
The race for Europe’s qualification to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins Saturday in Voorburg, Netherlands, with five nations competing for just two coveted spots. Hosts Netherlands and Scotland enter as favorites, but in the unpredictable world of T20 cricket, surprises are always possible.
High-Stakes Cricket in Voorburg
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025 kicks off Saturday morning at the picturesque VRA Cricket Ground in Voorburg. The tournament features a round-robin format where each team plays every other team, with the top two finishers earning qualification to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
“This is the most competitive European qualifier we’ve seen in years,” said ICC Europe representative David Thorley. “The Netherlands and Scotland may be favorites, but Jersey, Guernsey and Italy all have match-winners who can change games.”
The opening day features two matches, with hosts Netherlands taking on Jersey in the morning session, followed by Guernsey versus Italy in the afternoon. Scotland has a rest day on Saturday before beginning their campaign on Sunday.
Tournament Essentials
- 1 Dates: July 5-11, 2025
- 2 Venue: VRA Ground, Voorburg
- 3 Format: Round-robin
- 4 Teams: 5 (2 qualify for 2026 T20 WC)
Full Tournament Fixtures
Saturday (5 July 2025)
Jersey vs Netherlands
10:00 AM (local time)
Italy vs Guernsey
7:00 PM (local time)
Sunday (6 July 2025)
Guernsey vs Scotland
2:00 PM (local time)
Italy vs Jersey
7:00 PM (local time)
Tuesday (8 July 2025)
Guernsey vs Jersey
2:00 PM (local time)
Scotland vs Netherlands
7:00 PM (local time)
Wednesday (9 July 2025)
Italy vs Scotland
2:00 PM (local time)
Guernsey vs Netherlands
7:00 PM (local time)
Friday (11 July 2025)
Scotland vs Jersey
2:00 PM (local time)
Netherlands vs Italy
7:00 PM (local time)
Opening Day Fixtures
Netherlands
Jersey
VRA Cricket Ground, Voorburg
Guernsey
Italy
VRA Cricket Ground, Voorburg
Scotland will begin their campaign on Sunday against Italy, while Netherlands play their second match against Guernsey on Monday in what promises to be a crucial early tournament fixture.
Full Tournament Squads
Netherlands Squad (Announced: 1 July 2025)
Scott Edwards (c & wk)
Noah Croes
Daniel Doram
Aryan Dutt
Kyle Klein
Ryan Klein
Bas de Leede
Michael Levitt
Zach Lion-Cachet
Paul van Meekeren
Roelof van der Merwe
Teja Nidamanuru
Max O’Dowd
Hidde Overdijk
Saqib Zulfiqar
Scotland Squad (Announced: 26 June 2025)
Richie Berrington (c)
Matthew Cross
Bradley Currie
Jasper Davidson
Chris Greaves
Oli Hairs
Jack Jarvis
Michael Leask
Chris McBride
Finlay McCreath
Brandon McMullen
George Munsey
Safyaan Sharif
Chris Sole
Hamza Tahir
Jersey Squad (Announced: 28 June 2025)
Charles Perchard (c)
Dom Blampied
Harrison Carlyon
Jake Dunford (wk)
Nick Ferraby
Nick Greenwood
Asa Tribe
Jonty Jenner
Elliot Miles
Rhys Palmer
Julius Sumerauer
Ben Ward
Zak Tribe
Guernsey Squad (Announced: 30 June 2025)
Ollie Nightingale (c)
Martin-Dale Bradley (vc)
Luke Bichard
Charlie Birch
Alex Bushell
Josh Butler
Zak Damarell
Ben Ferbrache
Ben Fitchet
Charlie Forshaw
Harry Johnson
Adam Martel
Tom Nightingale
Ant Stokes
Matt Stokes
Italy Squad (Announced: 29 June 2025)
Joseph Burns
Harry Manenti
Zain Ali
Marcus Campopiano
Thomas Draca
Emilio Gay
Crishan Kalugamage
Bilal Khan
Ben Manenti
Gian-Piero Meade
Anthony Mosca
Justin Mosca
Zain Naqvi
Jaspreet Singh
Grant Stewart
Tournament Expectations
With two 2026 T20 World Cup spots up for grabs, every match in this qualifier carries immense importance. The Netherlands and Scotland are considered the strongest teams, but as we’ve seen in previous qualifiers, associate nations can spring surprises.
The tournament promises to deliver exciting cricket as these European nations battle for a chance to compete on the global stage in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Fans can expect high-intensity matches with plenty of drama as teams fight for those precious qualification spots.