USA Qualifies for ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026

The lineup of 16 teams for the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 has been set. The United States of America (USA) secured the last spot for the tournament, which will be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

The USA earned their place after a strong showing at the Americas Qualifier on their home ground, achieving qualification with one match remaining. In one match, they bowled out Argentina for just 34 runs.

Arjun Mahes’s team is the fifth to qualify for the U19 World Cup 2026 through regional qualifiers, joining Tanzania from Africa, Afghanistan from Asia, Japan from East Asia-Pacific, and Scotland from Europe.

The top 10 teams from the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, along with hosts Zimbabwe, had already secured direct qualification.

The ten teams that gained automatic qualification alongside Zimbabwe include Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and the West Indies.

The 16 participating teams have been arranged into four groups. Group A includes Australia, Ireland, Sri Lanka, and Japan. Group B consists of Bangladesh, New Zealand, West Indies, and Scotland.

Group C features Pakistan, England, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, the hosts. Group D is made up of India, South Africa, Afghanistan, and the USA.

Australia will head into the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 as the defending champions, having won their fourth title by defeating India by 79 runs in the final of the previous edition.