Two sub-regional qualifiers for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 are set to begin next week in Malaysia, featuring 13 teams vying for advancement to the next stage of the global tournament.
The Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘A’ will run from October 3 to 15, 2026, while the Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘B’ is scheduled from October 8 to 14, 2026. Both tournaments will be held across three venues in Malaysia: Bayuemas Oval, UKM Oval, and STC Oval.
Seven teams will compete in Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘A’: Bahrain, Bhutan, Kuwait, Mongolia, Myanmar, Qatar, and Thailand. Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘B’ will feature six teams: Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.
All matches will follow a single round-robin format. The top three teams from each group will secure a spot in the next phase of the Asia Qualifiers, scheduled for 2027.
Mahinda Vallipuram, President of the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA), expressed his honour at hosting the tournaments. He stated that these events provide an opportunity to showcase the development, talent, and ambition of Asian cricket.
The opening matches for Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘A’ are set for October 5, with Myanmar facing Bhutan, Thailand playing Bahrain, and Kuwait taking on Qatar. For Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘B’, the first matches on October 8 will see Maldives against China, Saudi Arabia battle Singapore, and Malaysia host Hong Kong.
Road to the 2028 T20 World Cup
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028 will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from October 21 to November 19, 2028. The tournament will feature 20 teams playing a total of 55 matches.
Twelve teams have already secured direct qualification for the 2028 World Cup. This includes co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, the top seven teams from the Super 8 stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup (England, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe), and the top three teams in the ICC Men’s T20 International Team Rankings as of March 9, 2026 (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Ireland).
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the new format for the 2028 World Cup in July 2026, which will see 20 teams divided into five groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to a Super 10 stage. The qualification pathway was also updated in July 2026 to reintroduce the Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier.
The remaining eight spots will be decided through a Global Qualifier tournament involving 16 teams. Asia has been allocated two places in this Global Qualifier.
Bhutan’s men’s national cricket team recently concluded a series of four practice matches in Nepal from September 29 to October 2, 2026, as part of their preparations for the qualifiers.
What’s Next for Asian Teams
Following these sub-regional qualifiers, the top three teams from each group will proceed to the Asia Qualifiers (Regional Final) in 2027. From this regional final, two teams will earn berths in the Global Qualifier.
The Global Qualifier will feature 16 teams, with eight ultimately qualifying for the 2028 T20 World Cup. Specifically, the top-ranked team from each region and the next three best-placed teams overall in the Global Qualifier will secure their spots in the main event.
All matches from the sub-regional qualifiers will be broadcast live worldwide on ICC.tv, with fans in India also able to watch on FanCode.
Further details regarding the exact dates and host nation for the 2027 Asia Qualifiers (Regional Final) are yet to be announced.
