It was heartbreak for USA Women as they missed out on their maiden appearance at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup after falling 41 runs short against Scotland in their final game of the qualifiers in Nepal on February 1, 2026.

A win would have secured a top-four finish in the Super Sixes stage and a place at the T20 World Cup later this year in June in England and Wales. Yet, despite the disappointment, the USA fly back home with their heads held high, with hopes of qualification higher than ever for future editions of the T20 World Cup, as their campaign for the 2026 edition has been their best one yet.

The USA entered the qualifiers as the lowest-ranked team at 24th, they walked away with three wins in Nepal, defeating Namibia, Papua New Guinea, and Thailand, all of whom are higher-ranked nations. They also put up valiant performances against top-10 sides such as Bangladesh and Ireland, fighting hard right through to the final game against Scotland. These powerful displays against prominent teams came less than a year after the USA lost their One Day International status following a poor run of games, and ICC’s suspension of the USA Cricket Board, making this showcase of skill and determination especially

“I think when we landed here, nobody was going to give us a chance,” said USA Women head coach Hilton Moreeng to Peter Della Penna, post-match against Scotland.

“I think the way everybody went about their business and how we played match by match and kept improving with every game,” he said adding “I think we can be very proud of what the girls have achieved from where we started.”

In terms of individual performances, Tustin, California’s Chetna Pagydyala finished as the USA’s highest run-scorer at the qualifiers with 159 runs, while the experienced, Philly-born Tara Norris ended as their leading wicket-taker, and the highest wicket-taker of the entire competition, claiming 15 wickets across six games. Young talents such as Pooja Ganesh, Lekha Shetty, Ritu Singh and Maahi Madhavan also played key roles in helping the USA secure their three wins.

Madhavan, who is just 16 years old was praised heavily by Moreeng for her performances, fighting till the end against Scotland by taking 2/23 with the ball.

“Very happy from the growth I have seen in the last year I’ve been working with,” said Moreeng, reflecting on Madhavan’s performance in the qualifiers. “It’s been a privilege to work with her talent and she’s a cricketer who’s got a good cricket head on her shoulders.”

These youngsters, along with captain Aditiba Chudasama, were among nine players in the qualifiers who also featured in the USA’s U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign in 2025, where they finished eighth overall, ahead of major teams such as Pakistan, New Zealand, and the West Indies. That swift transition from U-19 to senior cricket resulted in a squad with an average age of just 19.5, making this performance even more impressive.

After their fate was confirmed, Chudasama shared her pride in the team’s efforts on Instagram.

“Couldn’t be prouder to have come this far and am honored to lead the best group of people. Thank you, Nepal,” she wrote.

Fortunately for U.S. cricket fans, there is still World Cup action to look forward to in 2026, with the Men’s T20 World Cup set to kick off in India in less than a week on February 7, where the Americans will take on the hosts at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. As for the women’s team, with their young talent, confident mindset, and fearless approach, it’s safe to say their appearance at a Cricket World Cup is not far off.

“It has been great, there’s been a lot of growth and maturity shown,” concluded Moreeng, looking back at his side’s qualifying campaign.

“To get ourselves the first win and the historic wins we needed to get ourselves out of the group (stage), it’s a big plus for the team,” added Moreeng. “It’s here and there I think with the inexperience that we had in the team, at times we let ourselves down (in) the way we play key moments, but I think we take a lot of learning from this to get us into the next phase of our preparation.”

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