All Teams Confirmed for U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026

The International Cricket Council (ICC), back in 1988, decided to organise the Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup. After the first edition in 1988, the tournament didn't take place again until 1998. At that time, only eight teams participated in the tournament. The Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup happens every two years, where the best players from the cricket-playing nations participate in the tournament. The competition gives them a platform to showcase their talent and knock on the doors of the selectors from their respective countries.

Interestingly, the first edition was won by Australia in 1988. Until now, India have won five titles, which is the highest, followed by Australia, who have four titles under their name. Out of all the countries that have been there since the inception, New Zealand and Sri Lanka are the ones that haven't won a single trophy yet. Although they have qualified for the finals, they have failed to win it.

There are so many players who have performed well in the tournament and have been a part of their national side over the years. One of the best examples would be India's veteran batter Virat Kohli, who captained the U-19 side in 2008. He led the team towards the title by defeating New Zealand in the finals. He has turned out to be one of the best cricketers in the world and is known as a ‘modern-day legend’. Meanwhile, Australia are the reigning champion in the tournament and will surely look forward to defending their title this year.

Which Teams are Participating in the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026?

The 16th edition of the U19 World Cup 2026 is one of the most anticipated tournaments for all the cricket-playing nations. While the dates aren't revealed yet, Namibia and Zimbabwe are set to host the World Cup in 2026. After many years, the tournament has finally returned to South Africa. The qualification process has been quite simple this time. All the top ten teams from the previous edition qualified for the U-19 Men's World Cup, along with the hosts, Zimbabwe. Apart from them, there were qualifiers set in five different regions of the world, including America, Africa, Asia, East Asia Pacific, and Europe.

After the end of the qualifiers, a total of 16 teams qualified for the tournament. They are Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri-Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Japan, Scotland, Tanzania, and the USA. Now, these teams will be divided into four groups, and the top three teams will qualify for the Super 6. From here, the three teams from Groups A and D will be combined to form a group. The same will happen with the other two groups. Then, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

Who Won the Qualifiers in the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026?

There were regional qualification tournaments that were held from 25 February 2024 to 16 August 2025 to decide who would take the last five seats. In the Africa Qualifiers, Tanzania remained unbeaten throughout the qualifiers, beating Namibia in the final clash. Moreover, in the American Qualifiers, the USA turned out to be victorious, thanks to Amrinder Singh Gill's 199 runs. Next were the Asia Qualifiers, where Afghanistan turned out to be lucky with the net run rate against Nepal.

Japan dominated in the East Asian Pacific qualifiers with the help of Charlie Hara-Hinze, who claimed 12 wickets and contributed in the middle-order as well. Lastly, the European Qualifiers were thrilling as the competition was between Scotland and the Netherlands. Scotland turned out to be victorious in the final game, making their way into the tournament. Hence, the USA, Tanzania, and Japan are the newcomers in the U19 World Cup 2026. While the best cricket teams in the world, like India, England, and Australia, will be a threat to everyone, it will be a learning curve for all the players who are set to feature in the tournament next year.