The USA’s rise in international cricket over the last half decade has been unprecedented, to say the least. The formation of a franchise league in Major League Cricket (MLC), the import of international talent from around the world, the subsequent export of that talent to foreign leagues for game time and exposure, and now back-to-back qualifications for the Men’s T20 World Cup have marked a remarkable period of growth.

The United States has secured a place in the 2026 T20 World Cup after automatically qualifying through the 2024 edition, which was played on home soil. It was a historic campaign for the USA, highlighted by a dramatic victory over Pakistan, regarded by many as one of the greatest upsets in cricket history, and one that gave the sport its five minutes of fame amongst general American audiences.

Now, 2026 represents an opportunity for this U.S. side to prove its legitimacy on the global stage once and for all, or, like many teams before them, fade into obscurity if they fail to capitalize.

The opponents

The USA has been drawn into Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands, and co-hosts and defending champions India, whom they will face in their opening match on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The ‘Men in Blue’ enter the T20 World Cup as overwhelming favorites, currently riding a 15-series unbeaten streak that dates back to 2023. The USA faced India in the 2024 edition in New York, where they were little more than a footnote in India’s march to the title, succumbing to a comfortable seven-wicket defeat. However, beyond the hosts, the USA still has a reasonable chance against their remaining opponents.

Pakistan is a team the Americans know all too well. As mentioned earlier, the upset in Dallas remains fresh in memory, but it would be naïve to assume the ‘Shaheens’ have not learned from that defeat. 

Pakistan has been one of the most consistent teams in T20 World Cup history, reaching the semifinals in five of the eight editions, including three finals and a title win in 2009. The USA does, however, have a potential silver lining: Pakistan’s possible boycott of their match against India, which would be deemed a forfeit and could open the door for the U.S. to advance to the next round.

“It took some time to sink in,” USA captain Monank Patel said about their historic win over Pakistan in 2024 in an interview with CricTracker.

“It was unreal for us, playing in the World Cup for the first time and beating them. Everyone was excited, and that gave us a lot of confidence as well.”

Fellow Associate nations Namibia and the Netherlands operate on a similar level to the USA. The Dutch hold a perfect 3–0 record against the Americans, having last played them in 2024, a month after the World Cup. The USA faced Namibia later that year in a tri-series involving the UAE, defeating them on both occasions. With all three nations in the same group and with Pakistan’s potential boycott looming, each side has a legitimate chance of reaching the Super 8s. 

This is a space worth watching, as the USA could very well emerge as a surprise qualifier for the final eight.

The team

The 2026 squad features just ten players from the historic 2024 lineup, with several high-profile names missing. Former New Zealander Corey Anderson and former vice-captain Aaron Jones, who recently received an ICC suspension for breaching anti-corruption rules, have both been excluded.

Former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand, who switched allegiance to the USA in 2021, has also missed out for a second consecutive World Cup. This comes despite a strong showing in the 2025 MLC season, as he continues to wait for his international debut.

Despite the shake-up, captain Patel remains unconcerned.

“I would say it’s a very experienced and well-balanced team,” Patel said in another interview with CricTracker.

“We have a lot of all-rounders, and we’ll definitely be bringing something new to the game. People will definitely be watching us in this World Cup.”

The squad has already been tested in warm-up matches against India A and New Zealand, games they lost, but not without putting up a fight. Bowling proved to be a concern in both fixtures, with the USA conceding 238 and 208 runs respectively while fielding first. Despite the daunting targets, they responded impressively, scoring 200 runs in both chases.

The batting effort was a collective one across the two matches, which is the ideal takeaway heading into a World Cup. Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, and Shubham Ranjane all produced explosive innings, with the latter three pushing New Zealand to the brink in the second warm-up, ultimately falling just seven runs short.

The USA suffered another setback in that match when vice-captain Jessy Singh sustained a shoulder injury while attempting a diving catch, potentially ruling him out of the tournament.

That injury, combined with the 446 runs conceded across two games, is far from encouraging, especially in the Indian subcontinent, where pitches are often considered batting-friendly “roads,” ideal for record-breaking totals, as seen regularly in the IPL. However, as the IPL and the T20 format itself have repeatedly shown, anything goes.

“The format itself has a bit of a luck factor,” said USA fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, hero of the 2024 Pakistan win, in an interview with Sportstar.

“If the right guys build the right partnership, or if a few key moments go our way, then we can give a good fight.”

The USA opens its 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign against India at the Wankhede Stadium at 7:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time (IST).

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