The Italy men’s cricket team is on the brink of making history.
In a stunning upset, Italy defeated Scotland by 12 runs on Wednesday (July 9) at The Hague, taking a massive step toward qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka early next year.
Led by former Australia Test opener Joe Burns, Italy now sit atop the points table in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier 2025, with five points from three games. Their final league match is against hosts Netherlands on Friday (July 11) at Sportpark Westvliet — and a win would seal their qualification for the T20 World Cup for the first time ever.
But even in defeat, Italy could still make it through.
Here’s how:
Scotland and Jersey, currently tied with three points each, face off in a must-win clash on Friday. If Italy lose to the Netherlands, they’ll still finish on five points. However, due to their superior net run rate, Italy could still qualify even if one of Scotland or Jersey joins them on five points.
“Very surreal,” says Joe Burns
Speaking after the dramatic win over Scotland, skipper Joe Burns described the feeling in the Italian camp as “very surreal” — but remained focused on the task ahead.
“I’m really proud of the boys. To beat a fantastic side like Scotland is a massive reward for all the sacrifices our players, staff, and federation have made,” said the 35-year-old, who played 23 Tests for Australia before switching allegiance to Italy.
“Technically, we can’t celebrate just yet. There’s still a big game on Friday. But hopefully, this is the stepping stone for much more to come.”
New Era of Global Cricket
Should Italy qualify, they’ll join a growing list of new cricketing nations making their mark on the global stage. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, debutants like USA, Canada, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, and Nepal captured global attention — with the USA famously defeating Pakistan in Dallas.
Now, Italy may be next in line to write their own fairytale.
