Canada seal qualification for 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka

ANI June 22, 2025 291 views

Canada has officially qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup after a flawless Americas Qualifiers campaign. Their dominant win over Bahamas, led by Kaleem Sana and Dilpreet Bajwa, sealed their spot. The Nicholas Kirton-led side joins co-hosts India and Sri Lanka among the qualified teams. Seven more spots remain open through regional qualifiers later this year.

"Kaleem Sana and Shivam Sharma picked up three wickets apiece as Canada bundled out Bahamas for just 57." – ICC
Toronto, June 22: Canada have officially secured their spot in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, according to the official website of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Key Points

1

Canada dominates Americas Qualifiers with five straight wins

2

Kaleem Sana and Shivam Sharma star with three wickets each

3

Dilpreet Bajwa smashes 36* off 14 balls

4

Joins India, Sri Lanka, and 10 others in 2026 T20 World Cup

The hosts of the Americas Qualifiers confirmed their place at the tournament after grabbing a win against Bahamas, their fifth successive in the ongoing campaign from as many outings.

Kaleem Sana and Shivam Sharma picked up three wickets apiece as Canada bundled out Bahamas for just 57. The chase was wrapped up in just 5.3 overs, with Dilpreet Bajwa smashing an unbeaten 36 off 14 balls to seal a dominant win and qualification.

Having featured at last year's Men's T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean, Canada arrived into the Qualifiers as one of the favourites to progress through.

The Nicholas Kirton-led side kickstarted their campaign with a comprehensive win against Bermuda by 110 runs. The result was followed by a 59-run win against Cayman Islands and a 10-wicket trumping of Bahamas in the first round of games between the teams.

In their second outing against Cayman Islands - a contest cut short to five-overs-a-side - Canada registered another comfortable win after putting together 82 runs on the board, and eventually seizing the game by 42 runs.

Canada join the list of 10 teams already qualified for the 20-team event, alongside co-hosts India and Sri Lanka. The other qualified sides include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan.

Seven more teams - two from Europe Qualifier (to be played from 5-11 July 2025), two from Africa Qualifier (to be played from 19 September - 4 October 2025) and three from Asia-EAP Qualifier (to be played from 1-17 October 2025) - will join the Men's T20 World Cup through the Regional Qualifiers.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Congratulations to Canada! It's great to see cricket growing globally 🌍. Looking forward to watching them play in India - hope they get to experience our passionate cricket crowds! The match against Bahamas was pure domination - 57 all out and chased in 5.3 overs is brutal!
P
Priya M.
As an Indian cricket fan, I'm excited for the World Cup being co-hosted here! But honestly, the qualification process seems too easy for associate nations. Canada beating Bahamas doesn't prove they can compete with top teams. ICC should make qualifiers more competitive.
A
Arjun S.
Shivam Sharma taking wickets for Canada 😂 Typical desi talent shining abroad! Jokes aside, good to see NRIs keeping cricket alive in North America. Maybe one day USA vs Canada will be a proper rivalry like Ind-Pak!
S
Sunita R.
The real test will be when Canada faces Asian teams in India. Our pitches are very different from what they're used to. But kudos to them for qualifying! Cricket needs more nations to grow beyond the usual 8-10 teams.
V
Vikram J.
Interesting that Sri Lanka is co-hosting despite their recent poor form. Hope they improve before 2026. As for Canada - Dilpreet Bajwa's 36 off 14 sounds explosive! Would love to see him face Bumrah or Shaheen in the main tournament 🔥
N
Neha P.
The schedule mentions matches in Sri Lanka too. Hope political situation there stabilizes by 2026. Security for players and fans should be top priority. Otherwise just host everything in India - we have enough stadiums!

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Tags:
Canada cricket T20 World Cup 2026 ICC Nicholas Kirton Kaleem Sana Dilpreet Bajwa