Nepal faces tougher road to T20 World Cup as Global Qualifier returns

Nepal first played in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2014, but it took them 10 years to qualify for the second time.

Nepal qualified for the 2014 World Cup by clearing the Global Qualifier. After that, the Global Qualifier became a persistent obstacle. Nepal failed at the Global Qualifier stage repeatedly.

For the 2024 World Cup, the ICC removed the Global Qualifier provision. Instead, it introduced a system where two teams each from Asia, Africa, and Europe, and one team each from the Americas and East Asia-Pacific would qualify for the T20 World Cup through regional qualifying. Nepal benefited from this change.

The very team that had first reached the World Cup by clearing the Global Qualifier had to wait for the Global Qualifier provision to be removed before making it a second time. Nepal first played in a Global Qualifier in 2011/12, finishing fifth in Group A and failing to qualify.

The second time around, Nepal cleared the Global Qualifier and played in the 2014 World Cup, but in the 2015 qualifier, they finished at the bottom of Group A’s standings and were again eliminated.

In the 2021 Global Qualifier, a defeat to the UAE once again prevented Nepal from reaching the World Cup. In 2019, Nepal didn’t even make it to the Qualifier; they were eliminated in the Asia regional stage after losing to Singapore.

It was only the new format introduced by the ICC for 2024 that gave Nepal relief. With the top two teams from Asia qualifying directly for the World Cup, Nepal finally stepped onto the T20 World Cup stage again after 10 years, having stunned the UAE in the home qualifier to claim their spot.

For the 2026 T20 World Cup, qualification became even more straightforward. The ICC merged the Asia and East Asia-Pacific regions into a combined qualifier, with the top 3 nations advancing to the World Cup. Nepal finished in first place, qualifying for a consecutive second time and a third time overall.

However, the ICC board meeting has now approved a proposal to introduce a Global Qualifier for the T20 World Cup. This is expected to make qualification significantly more challenging for Nepal in future editions. A firm decision on which World Cup cycle this will apply to has not yet been made.

If implemented, Nepal will need to clear both the Asia regional qualifier and the Global Qualifier to reach the T20 World Cup. Top teams from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and other regions will all compete in the Global Qualifier.

The ICC has not yet finalised how many teams will participate in the Global Qualifier or how many will ultimately qualify for the World Cup. The ICC management has been directed to finalise the tournament structure and qualification process for a 16-team Global Qualifier.

Former national team captain Gyanendra Malla believes that things will not be as easy under a Global Qualifier format.

“Once you go to the Global stage, it’s challenging. Strong teams from every region come and compete. It won’t be as smooth as it has been,” he says.

Malla also noted that the outcome would depend on how many spots are available through the Global Qualifier.

“Playing the Global Qualifier is actually a good thing. If we’re among the best associate nations, there’s no real reason to be afraid. But it certainly won’t be easy.”

Under the 2024 format, Nepal only needed to beat one of Oman or UAE, both considered the stronger Asian sides, to open the World Cup door. Nepal did exactly that by defeating the UAE.

In 2026, with three Asia spots available, Nepal, Oman, and UAE all qualified comfortably. But with a Global Qualifier, Nepal will have to compete against Oman and UAE alongside the best associate nations from around the world.

Former national player Dipendra Chaudhary believes Nepal is capable of clearing the Global Qualifier.

“It adds some challenge. Last time, European teams like Scotland didn’t qualify. They could be there this time. But our team is capable of clearing the Global Qualifier,” Chaudhary says.

Chaudhary, drawing from experience, noted the revived Global Qualifier would make things more demanding.

“Last time we played against Japan and Samoa, those were easier opponents. But in this, all the strong teams will come. They’ll be picked from Asia, from Europe, from other regions. In that sense, it could be challenging,” he says.

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