Update: Scenarios updated after England’s 9-wicket win over New Zealand
The semi-final stage of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is just a few days away and some teams are still vying for a spot in the semis. Hosts England became the first team to qualify for the next stage of the tournament, they were joined by the West Indies side who managed to scrape through despite losing out to Ireland.
Sunday games will be crucial for several squads, including India and South Africa. Australia, who have won all of their games so far, will be looking to seal the deal when they face India on Sunday.
Pakistan, Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland and Sri Lanka were already eliminated from the tournament. Fatima Sana-led Pakistan were the first team to be eliminated from the competition after failing to win in any of their first four matches. Meanwhile, the defending champions New Zealand suffered a huge defeat in a do-or-die game against England on Saturday and became the latest team to be eliminated from the qualification race.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka were also eliminated from the competition despite West Indies’ shocking loss against Ireland in the penultimate match of Group B.
Australia Semi-Final Qualification Scenario:
4 matches | 8 points | NRR +4.724
Australia started the tournament with a dominating 65-run win over South Africa. Since then, they have managed to maintain their winning momentum, with victories over Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Netherlands.
Australia will play their final group stage game against India on Sunday. Even if they lose the game, the Sophie Molineux-led side can progress to the semis due to their superior run rate.
India Semi-Final Qualification Scenario:
4 matches | 6 points | NRR +2.268
India managed to keep their semi-final hopes alive with a win over Bangladesh. They now need to beat Australia to make it to the next level. If both India and South Africa win their last games, the entry to the semis will be decided on the basis of net run rate. India have a slight advantage over South Africa in this respect, but winning margins on Sunday may change things.
South Africa Semi-Final Qualification Scenario:
4 matches | 6 points | NRR: +0.734
South Africa defeated the Netherlands by 88 runs to win their third straight match of the ICC Women’s T20 Cup 2026. The Proteas have bounced back spectacularly after their opening defeat against Australia.
South Africa need to defeat Bangladesh in their final game to have a chance of a semi-final berth. If both India and South Africa win, the teams will have 8 points each, alongside table toppers Australia. This means that the net run rate will be the deciding factor. So South Africa must beat Bangladesh by a huge margin to increase their chances of qualifying.
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Bangladesh Semi-Final Qualification Scenario:
4 matches | 4 points | NRR -0.849
While they lost their last game against India, Bangladesh still remain in contention for a semi-final spot, but barely. They have to beat South Africa by a huge margin and hope that India loses to Australia to get to the next stage.
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