This Is Why No Team Is Safe in the T20 World Cup 2026

Six games of the T20 World Cup 2026 have been played and each game was a thriller. While fans expected the matches involving associate teams to be one-sided, they came out to be a nail biter. This brings the top teams too in a danger zone, as the associates could get upset victories this tournament.

A World Cup upset is known where an associate or less stronger team is able to win over a Test playing nation. While upset wins have been very less in the T20 World Cup or ODI World Cup, that may not be the scene this time. With two days of the T20 World Cup 2026, every game has kept the fans to the edge of their seat.

The last time an upset happened in an ICC event, it was during the clash between USA and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. But this time, almost every game has come close to upsetting the fans. As the tournament progresses, even the fans won't be shocked to see any Test playing nation losing the game to associate members.

1. Pakistan vs Netherlands

The T20 World Cup started with Pakistan and Netherlands facing each other in the opening game. Netherlands were batting first in this game and they managed to score just 147 runs before being bowled out. The target was low and Pakistan had a strong batting line-up.

Pic Source: ESPNcricinfo

Sahibzada Farhan got off to a strong start, which put the team at 61/2 in the powerplay. But the Netherlands bowling line-up made an incredible comeback, which put Pakistan at the score of 114/7 at the start of the 17th over. As the match went close, Faheem Ashraf finished it by taking Pakistan to the win with 3 wickets and 3 balls remaining.

2. West Indies vs Scotland

The second game of the tournament between West Indies and Scotland was also intense. The West Indies batted first and they were able to dominate with their aggressive batting line-up. They posted 182 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Scotland started the chase well, as they stood at the score of 114/3.

In the last 7 overs, the team required 69 runs and they even had set batsmen. Just when everyone thought an upset was coming, West Indies struck with two wickets. Later, Romario Shepherd trimmed the chances of an upset, as he took a hat-trick in the 17th over. West Indies ended up winning the game by 35 runs.

3. India vs USA

India had its first game against the USA, and fans had high expectations from the team. The defending champions and the hosts looked strong favourites against the USA, and experts even predicted the team to score 300+. But the USA bowlers did something unexpected.

Within the powerplay, they were able to put India at the score of 46/4. Abhishek Sharma, the ICC Number 1 batsman was dismissed for a duck. India even stood at 77/6 after the wicket of Hardik Pandya. But Suryakumar Yadav showed some resilience which helped India to score 161 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.

Indian bowlers had a good start in the chase, as they put the USA at 13/3. But Milind and Sanjay had an impressive stand, which made the Indian fans think their team might lose the game. The USA ended up falling short by just 29 runs, allowing India to get the win.

4. England vs Nepal

England and Nepal faced each other on Day 2 of the T20 World Cup 2026. Watching this game, fans thought it would be an easy win for England. Even the English team had a good start to the game with the bat. Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook smashed half-centuries, while Will Jacks gave a strong finish to put the team at 184/7.

Nepal had a shaky start in the chase, but the team stood at 47/2. They recovered well, and were able to score 123/2 in 14 overs. The target was close to being achieved now, but England made a comeback. With 10 runs left to chase in the last over, Nepal fell short to win the match by 4 runs, as Sam Curran helped England to win.

5. Sri Lanka vs Ireland

Another day had the hosts of the tournament almost being shocked by the performances of teams which are not a part of the WTC cycle. Sri Lanka and Ireland faced each other, as the hosts batted first. Sri Lanka went on to score 163 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, with Kusal Mendis scoring a half-century.

Ireland had a good start, as the team put on 45 runs for the loss of a wicket in the powerplay. They even continued the form to stand at the score of 104/2 in 14 overs. With 60 runs to chase in 6 overs, Sri Lanka made a comeback. Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga took wickets constantly, as Sri Lanka won the game by 20 runs.