Nepal have secured their berth at the 2026 T20 World Cup, in a second consecutive entry for the Rhinos who first played the top match in 2014.

Around an hour before the start of the Asia & East Asia Pacific Qualifier’s Super 6 fixture between Nepal and the hosts Oman, in Al Amerat on Wednesday, both had secured spots in the cricket World Cup, which India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting.

Qatar defeated Japan by three wickets, while the UAE thrashed Samoa by 77 runs in the second match on Wednesday—a result that ensured Nepal and Oman became two of the three teams to seal their tickets to the global event from the Asia & EAP Qualifier.

However, Nepal and Oman did not take their fixture lightly. A win would increase the hopes of lifting the Qualifier’s title as Oman and Nepal were at the top of the points table with six points each from three games.

While Nepal’s entry to the T20 World Cup was secured in consecutive editions for the first time, the fans also did not stop from supporting the Rhinos in every way possible.

Broadcast live on Kantipur Max, the match drew over 300,000 views on its YouTube channel at one point.

Meanwhile, hundreds of fans thronged the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1), waving the triangular Nepal flag; they all left the venue with a joyous heart.

The points table favoured Nepal and Oman with two matches in hand, as the UAE and Japan were the only two teams that could challenge them in the points.

But as they both—UAE and Japan—are facing each other on Thursday, only one could pose a threat to Nepal and Oman after claiming two points.

Nepal top points table defeating Oman

After the win, Nepal toppled Oman to secure the top position on the points table with eight points from four matches. Oman, who were leading Nepal on net run rate, were limited to six points from four games.

Kushal Bhurtel (69 off 51), who departed as the sixth wicket at the end of the 18th over with Nepal at 127 runs, was the hero for Nepal with the bat as the visitors posted a total of 151/9 after skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel won the toss and elected to bat first. Bhurtel was later adjudged the player of the match.

Aasif Sheikh, Bhurtel’s opening partner, also played a decent inning, contributing 24 off 20.

Despite the openers doing good, the other three batters—Paudel (1 off 2), Dipendra Singh Airee (2 off 5) and Kushal Malla (7 off 9)—departed for a paltry score. Interestingly, excluding Bhurtel, all the other top four batters fell victim to Nadeem Khan, who bagged four wickets and gave only 20 runs in his four-over spell.

Jitenkumar Ramanandi and Sufiyan Mahmood also picked two wickets each for Oman. The hosts had only given four runs in extras.

In turn, Oman, who were expected to give a tough fight to Nepal, fell apart soon. By the end of the 12th over, the hosts had half of their batsmen back at the pavilion, with the score at 60/5.

Gulshan Kumar Jha, who played a cameo with the bat (18 off 10), was also great with the ball. With the ball, Jha bagged three wickets.

Nandan Yadav and Sompal Kami claimed two wickets each as Nepal won the match by 38 runs, restricting Oman to 113/9.

The win over Oman ensured that Nepal stayed unbeaten in the Qualifier, having won six matches—two in the Group Stage and four in the Super 6.

Consecutive berths at World Cup

With the qualification, Nepal will now feature in the T20 World Cup for the third time. The Rhinos first appeared in the tournament in 2014 in Bangladesh and returned after a decade to play in last year’s edition, co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies.

The 10th edition of the ICC T20 World Cup will be held from February 7 to March 8 next year in India and Sri Lanka, featuring 20 nations. With Nepal and Oman’s qualification, they have become the 18th and 19th teams to confirm their participation.

India and Sri Lanka have automatically qualified as hosts. Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, and the West Indies secured their spots based on their finishes in the previous edition. Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan qualified through ICC rankings.

From the regional qualifiers, Canada (Americas), the Netherlands and Italy (Europe), and Zimbabwe and Namibia (Africa) have also sealed their berths. The ongoing competition in Oman will determine one more team for the 2026 World Cup, with the UAE, Samoa, Qatar and Japan still in contention for the final slot.

Nepal, who have been nicknamed the ‘Cardiac Kids’ for their nerve-wracking finishes, will play their final Super 6 match against Samoa on Friday.

“Nepali fans, keep loving and supporting us like this,” Paudel said in the post-match presentation. “We will perform better at the World Cup.”