The group-stage fixtures of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 produced eight teams for the upcoming Super Eights stage. India, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and
the West Indies are in Group 1 for the phase, while Pakistan, England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka have found a spot in Group 2. The first match of the Super Eights will be played on February 21 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
All teams played a highly competitive amount of cricket to confirm their berths for the Super Eights. A few, on the other hand, unfortunately missed out, with Australia's early exit leaving everyone in surprise given the dominance they hold in multinational events. Nonetheless, the tournament is entering the business end with a riveting action of cricket unfolding in the shortest format of the game.
Here's how each team qualified for Super 8s of T20 WC 2026
West Indies
No one counted West Indies as one of the contenders when the T20 World Cup started, but they stunned everyone and showed why they have two trophies in their illustrious cabinet already. Daren Sammy's men entered the field and remained unbeaten throughout to finish the group stage with eight points after four matches. They will be eyeing glory for a third time.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka entered the 2026 edition as co-hosts, and the stage for them couldn't have been better since they are competing at home. Well, they did play like the most dominant side in the group stage, winning their first three games to confirm a spot. Their best performance came against the 2021 champions, Australia, as the Mitchell Marsh-led side was a force to be reckoned with.
New Zealand
New Zealand have never won a T20 World Cup so far, but it seems they definitely want their first in 2026. The Mitchell Santner-led side defeated Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates to mark their entrance, but lost to South Africa in Ahmedabad. They then travelled back to Chennai and defeated Canada, and now have a point to prove with eyes on the prized silverware.
England
England started off with a nail-biting win that disappointed Nepal in a last-ball thriller. In the next game, though, the Three Lions failed to roar against the West Indies, who won by 30 runs at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The control was still in the Englishmen's hands, as they beat Scotland and Italy in back-to-back contests to sail through.
Zimbabwe
Among the most dramatic upsets was made by the Chevrons in the qualification for the Super Eights. They got off to a flying start against Oman and got a couple of crucial points on the board. Next up, they were up against Australia and did the unthinkable to get over the line. This win boosted the Sikandar Raza-led side's chances, and an abandoned game against the Irishmen got them a ticket to the Super Eights.
South Africa
The South Africans played a thrilling brand of cricket and faced the toughest opponents to cruise through to the Super Eights. They started off against Canada with an easy victory. Then came the Afghans against whom they won via a nail-biting double super over in Ahmedabad. At the same venue, they defeated the BlackCaps and plummeted the UAE to finish unbeaten at the end of the group stage.
Pakistan
Pakistan had the easiest journey to the Super Eights, as they beat the United States of America, Namibia and the Netherlands to secure their qualification but lost the toughest match of the Group A fixture against arch-rivals India in a massive drubbing. It will be fascinating to see the Men in Green's further journey into the Super Eights, as they ready themselves to face New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka.
India
The Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team are playing to defend their title and look absolutely on track to do so. They won all four of their fixtures, including the one against Pakistan in Colombo to put their dominance on display. The Men in Blue will be facing South Africa (February 22), Zimbabwe (February 26) and the West Indies (March 1) in their Super Eights encounters in Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Kolkata, respectively.
