The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has left the decision regarding Pakistan's participation in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. If the Pakistani team withdraws from the tournament, Uganda could get the opportunity to play in their place.
If Pakistan is eliminated from the T20 World Cup, which team will get a chance?
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held from February 7th, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has left the decision regarding Pakistan's participation in the tournament to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The Prime Minister will now decide whether the Pakistani team will participate in the T20 World Cup. A final decision on Pakistan's participation in the tournament is expected in the next few days.
Regarding this, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated on Monday, January 26th, on X (formerly Twitter) that he had met with the Prime Minister. He wrote in his post, "Had a positive meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. I briefed him on the ICC matter, and he instructed that a solution will be found while keeping all options open. It was decided that the final decision will be taken on Friday or next Monday."
Will Pakistan be the second team to withdraw from the T20 World Cup?
If Pakistan withdraws from the T20 World Cup 2026, it will become the second team to withdraw from the tournament. Recently, Bangladesh also withdrew from the tournament after the ICC refused to shift their matches to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board's request after an independent security assessment.
Will Uganda get a chance to participate in place of Pakistan?
If Pakistan withdraws from the T20 World Cup 2026, Uganda will get a chance to participate. This East African team was part of the 2024 T20 World Cup, but the Ugandan team failed to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup. According to ICC rules, the highest-ranked team that fails to qualify replaces the withdrawing team. Scotland, ranked 14th, got a chance in place of Bangladesh. Uganda is the second highest-ranked team that failed to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Uganda is ranked 21st in the T20 International rankings and will therefore replace Pakistan. How did Uganda perform in the T20 World Cup 2024? Uganda participated in the T20 World Cup for the first time in 2024 and secured one win in their four matches. They defeated Papua New Guinea but lost to Afghanistan, West Indies, and New Zealand. However, Uganda did not qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
