Oman National Cricket Team Qualifies for World Cup

Muscat: Oman national cricket team has secured its place in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup finals, to be held in India and Sri Lanka next February and March. The qualification follows a strong performance in the Asian and East Asia-Pacific qualifiers hosted by the Sultanate of Oman at the Oman Cricket Academy in the Wilayat of Al Amarat. According to Oman News Agency, this marks the team's fourth World Cup qualification and the second consecutive one, following their recent participation in the 2024 World Cup held in the United States. The team made its debut in the 2016 edition in India, and Oman co-hosted the 2021 global tournament alongside the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The national team began its qualifying campaign with a decisive victory over Qatar, followed by an exciting win against the UAE where players demonstrated high concentration and strong competitive spirit. After a tough loss to Nepal, the team concluded its journey with a well-earned victory over Japan, finishing the qualifiers in seco nd place with 8 points, behind table-toppers Nepal with 10 points, while the UAE placed third with 6 points. Official qualification was confirmed following the results of the fifth round of the "Super 6" stage, which saw the UAE defeat Samoa and Qatar overcome Japan. This ensured the national team, alongside Nepal, secured early qualification tickets to the World Cup finals, with the UAE joining them later.