The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Europe Sub Regional Qualifier B is set to commence this Sunday in Germany, marking the beginning of an intense cricket competition among ten European teams. Following Italy’s triumph in the Sub Regional Qualifier A last month, the stakes are high for the teams arriving in Duisburg on Friday for the Qualifier B event.
The participating teams—Belgium, Croatia, Gibraltar, Jersey, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany—are gearing up for an eight-day cricket extravaganza. The matches will take place across two venues, the Krefeld Cricket Ground and the Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground, ensuring a wide reach for the fans. The event will feature 24 matches, beginning with the group stages where two groups of five teams will compete in round-robin fixtures.
The qualifying format adds to the excitement as the top two teams from the group stage will advance to a winner-takes-all match on Sunday, July 14, vying for a spot in the next round of qualification. The eventual victor will join Scotland, Netherlands, Italy, and the winner of Sub Regional Qualifier C in the Europe Qualifier, bringing them one step closer to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
Andrew Wright, ICC Europe Regional Development Manager, expressed his delight over the ongoing summer cricket events and praised the Deutscher Cricket Bund for hosting this significant tournament. He emphasized the aim of the ten teams to advance to the Europe Qualifier next year. Deutscher Cricket Bund Chief Executive, Dieter Voigt, and President, Severin Weiss, echoed this sentiment, expressing pride in hosting the tournament and extending gratitude to volunteers, the ICC, and sponsors for their essential support.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will feature 20 teams, with 12 teams qualifying automatically and eight through regional pathway events. The top teams from the 2024 edition, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, South Africa, West Indies, and USA, have already secured their spots. Sri Lanka qualifies automatically as hosts, while Ireland, New Zealand, and Pakistan qualify based on their ICC Men’s T20I rankings as of June 30.
The Europe Sub Regional Qualifier B is one of three such events in the region, playing a crucial role in the pathway to the 2026 World Cup. Other ICC regions will host their Sub Regional Qualifiers later in 2024, with regional finals scheduled for 2025.
The action kicks off on Sunday, July 7, with matches between Jersey and Serbia, and Germany and Gibraltar. Later in the day, Belgium will face Switzerland, and Norway will play Sweden. The following day, Slovenia takes on Norway, and Croatia battles Belgium, while Germany faces Sweden and Switzerland plays Jersey. Key fixtures continue throughout the week, culminating in the final matches on July 14, including the third-place playoff, seventh-place playoff, and the final, alongside the fifth-place playoff.
The event promises to generate significant interest and excitement, further boosting the profile of cricket in Europe. Fans can catch all the action live on ICC.tv, while viewers in India can tune in via FanCode.
Europe Sub Regional Qualifier B Fixtures (all times are in CEST, local time)
| Date | Match | Venue | Start Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 7 July | Jersey v Serbia | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 10:30 |
| Germany v Gibraltar | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 10:30 | |
| Belgium v Switzerland | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Norway v Sweden | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Monday, 8 July | Slovenia v Norway | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 10:30 |
| Croatia v Belgium | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 10:30 | |
| Sweden v Germany | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Switzerland v Jersey | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Wednesday, 10 July | Jersey v Belgium | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 10:30 |
| Germany v Norway | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 10:30 | |
| Serbia v Croatia | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Gibraltar v Slovenia | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Thursday, 11 July | Gibraltar v Sweden | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 10:30 |
| Serbia v Switzerland | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 10:30 | |
| Slovenia v Germany | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Croatia v Jersey | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Saturday, 13 July | Belgium v Serbia | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 10:30 |
| Norway v Gibraltar | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 10:30 | |
| Switzerland v Croatia | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Sweden v Slovenia | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| Sunday, 14 July | A2 v B2 (3rd place playoff) | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 10:30 |
| A4 v B4 (7th place playoff) | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 10:30 | |
| A1 v B1 (Final) | Krefeld Cricket Ground | 15:30 | |
| A3 v B3 (5th place playoff) | Gelsenkirchen Cricket Ground | 15:30 |
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