Discover how the Associate Nations have impressed the cricketing world with their impressive outing in the ongoing 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and how it will reshape cricket and help globalise the game.

Of the three cricket formats, the T20 format helps reduce the quality gap between Associate Nations and  the top-ranking cricketing powerhouses. The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has delivered as promised, with some high-quality cricket, the much-needed drama due to the unpredictable nature of the format, and some unforgettable moments that promise to make the ongoing ICC tournament a landmark moment for the future of cricket. This article will capture the extraordinary journey and rise of Associate Nations and lower-ranked teams like Zimbabwe that have captured global attention.

Introduction

For years now, cricket has been dominated by a handful of teams from the full member nations like Australia, India, England New Zealand and South Africa. This was more  obvious in the Test and ODI formats.

But with the birth of the T20 format many more countries got associated to the game of cricket and helped the game to spread in many non cricket playing nations. As these new nations had not got the status of a member nations they were categorised into a group called the Associate Nations.

Players in the Associate Nations are expats from cricket playing countries now living in a foreign land for their livelihood. This meant that cricket for these Associate Nations was more a weekend event and not a full time career option.

This prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to assist these Associate Nations financially and with technical support to develop grass root cricket which will help develop future players.

From Associate Nations having enthusiastic cricket lovers playing the game for the fun of it  to becoming serious contenders has helped cricket to grow further.

While the gap of how the game is played in the longer format is evident, the shortest format of the game ( T20 Format) narrows this gap helping Associate Nations also to become competitive.

20 Teams is participating in the ongoing T20 ICC World Cup 2026 which includes Eight Associate Nations.

ICC created qualifying tournaments of non playing member nations in major continents to identify these 8 Associate Nations that became eligible to take part in the ICC mega event.

The ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup has brought a paradigm shift in how cricket is viewed with Associate Nations rewriting the narrative of how the game is played .

Associate Nations have done extremely well in the tournament. While they were eliminated in the group stages , all teams punched way above their weight in each and every outing they got in the group stage. These emerging nations not only played some attractive cricket but also were competitive  and played above expectations.

While cricket struggled to go beyond the teams playing , the T20 cricket format has the potential to truly globalize the game similar to football.

The New Age Format – T20 Cricket and the entry of Associate Nations

While Test Cricket and ODI cricket is a game of technicalities and temperament, the T20 format is a great equaliser allowing technical gaps to be narrowed and replaced by a fast-paced, fearless level of cricket allowing players to be tactically aware in high pressure situations.

While the basics of the game donot change like  bowling with line and length, batsmanship and fielding, cricket is played with more flamboyance.

Associate Nations in the T20 World Cup demonstrated excellent batting, bowling discipline, and improved fielding, all of which were possible in a short 20-over game per side. This resulted in matches against higher rank teams less predictable and in some games becoming a closely contested one.

Who Impressed Cricket fans from the Eight Emerging Nations in the T20 World Cup

Nepal : Passion for the game getting a platform to shine

One of the standout performers amongst the emerging nations has been the Nepal National Team.

Unlike other associate teams having many expats playing in the side, Nepal team had Nepalese playing in the eleven making it extra special.

Not many knew about Nepal for its cricket and hence entered the ICC mega event as an underdog.

Fearless batting and a disciplined bowling unit earned them respect among the cricketing world. They not only participated with all the enthusiasm but also played competitive cricket. The world cup being in India helped as Fans could travel and support their team in the stadium.  The passionate fans helped Nepal to perform even better. Even a dead rubber game involving Nepal saw packed cricket stadiums.

For a team competing with the best, Nepal players played spin and pace well and their bowling too displayed promise.

Nepal’s performance in the T20 World Cup will allow them to be considered or be invited in Asian Tri Series Tournaments with higher ranked teams in the near future helping them to develop their game.

United States

ICC has been desperate over the years to bring cricket to America considering the rich sporting culture in the US. Currently the team is made up of Expats and migrants but they too played some very competitive cricket and almost made it to the super eights in the tournament.

With the proper funding and support, cricket in the USA has seen steady growth. Being a sports friendly country, the USA is supported by professional leagues and good talent pools. has been growing steadily, supported by professional leagues and diverse talent pools.

The current team in the T20 World Cup displayed explosive batting and a confident bowling lineup.

Netherlands – promise and consistency being rewarded

The Netherlands have been the most consistent amongst the emerging nations and desperately wanting to take the next step in International cricket. They have been unlucky in past outings considering the team quality in the last 5 years.

They have a mix of experienced players and some young talents and they have been lucky to have a calm and steady leadership for some time now.  They made an impact in the T20 World cup but unfortunately came short of qualifying. Their style of play impressed all.

Why has the associate teams made a difference in this edition of T20 World Cup?

• Everything to gain and nothing to lose allowed these nations to be fearless even in front of big names.
• With lower level leagues played to qualify the Associate Nations now have some experience in tough match situations.
• They play mostly only one format of cricket hence players are adapted to a style of play suitable for T20 cricket.
• The Skills required to play is matched with expats allowed to represent
• With more experience they will only get better.
• The experienced players from the Associate Nations now get opportunities to play various franchise league tournaments that helps them grow in a competitive environment.
• The Associate Nations now get professional coaching staffs.
• With regular games being played now , the fielding quality along with batting and bowling have improved. Players from Associate Nations have taken some brilliant catches in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
• The fan base and support for Associate Nations have increased. This has encouraged more participation, increased sponsorship revenues, Broadcast support and a window to improve grassroot level investments.

Summary

Full member teams can no more take Associate Nations lightly especially in global ICC tournaments. A loss against an associate nation can bring down rankings of established teams. This has improved quality of competitiveness.

With a strong outing in the World Cup , Associate Nations can expect fresh sponsorship deals, invites to play bilaterals against member nations, more participation in franchise leagues and greater government support.

This will improve youth participation which will accelerate the development of the game in their country.

The T20 format is fast becoming the most popular format in cricket and more and more teams will emerge in the coming years which will help globalise the game. From a traditional game , cricket is slowly modernising itself as a global sport which has reshaped global perceptions.