Zimbabwe, Namibia book spots in Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier

Zimbabwe and Namibia have sealed their places in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Global Qualifier early next year in Nepal, where ten teams will compete for four spots in the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup in England in June and July. Neither Zimbabwe nor Namibia have ever qualified for a women's World Cup in any format in the past.

They join Bangladesh, Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands, Thailand, Nepal and USA, who have already made it to the global qualifying tournament. The tenth and final team will come from the East Asia-Pacific regional qualifier, which begins in Fiji on September 9.

Zimbabwe qualified by beating Uganda in the first semi-final of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Africa Region Division One Qualifier in Windhoek on Thursday. Namibia beat Tanzania in the second semi-final to book their spot. They will contest the final of the Africa regional qualifier on September 6.

The T20 World Cup qualifier comprises ten teams divided into two groups of five each. The top six teams then make it to the Super Six stage, before the final. The tournament begins on January 12 and ends on February 2. The matches will be held at the Lower Mulpani Cricket Stadium and the Upper Mulpani Cricket Stadium in Kathmandu.

The T20 World Cup in 2026 will have 12 teams participating for the first time in the history of the tournament, up from ten teams in 2024. New Zealand are the defending champions, having beaten South Africa in the final in Dubai last year.