T20 World Cup Format, Qualifiers and Teams

The countdown for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has begun. The tournament will kick start on 17th October with summit clash to be played on November 14th. The global event was all set to take place in India but the COVID-19 crisis forced BCCI to move the tournament to the gulf country. The ICC has already revealed the itinerary for the mega event and with less than one week remaining for the deadline of the squad announcement, the boards of the respective nations are naming squads for the upcoming marquee tournament.

T20 World Cup Format: 

The seventh edition of the T20 World Cup that will take place in UAE and Oman will have as many as 16 teams that will light the tournament and a total of 45 matches will be played. The 16 teams have been divided into two groups. While the group of the first 8 teams will fight each other to enter the super 12 stages, the other group of 8 teams have already booked a place in the super 12 stages.

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The group of the first 8 teams have been further divided into two more groups of four teams each. Along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, six associate nations are placed in two groups namely Group A and B. Each team will play three matches each in the group and among them, only four teams will join other teams in the super 12 stages.

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T20 World Cup Qualifiers and Teams: 

Teams that are in the super 12s 

India, Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan

Teams that will play the first round (Qualification for the super 12 stages):

Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Scotland

ROUND 1 GROUP A: Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka

ROUND 1 GROUP B: Bangladesh, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Scotland

The top 2 teams from both groups will book their place in the Super 12s (A1, A2, B1 and B2)

Super 12 groups: 

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 (Winner Group A), B2 (Runner-up Group B)

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, B1 (Winner Group A), A2 (Runner-up Group A)

Knockouts

The top two teams from Group 1 and Group 2 from the super 12s will qualify for the knockouts.

Semi-final 1: A1 vs B2

Semi-final 2: A2 VS B1

Final: Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs winner of Semi-Final 2

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