In a significant setback for Scotland's chances of getting direct qualification for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, their group match against Guernsey in the Europe Qualifier was called off without a single ball being bowled because of continuous rain at Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague, on Saturday. Toss never happened because the outfield was still too damp for play, and the officials had to call off the match early in the day.

Scotland, ranked among the favorites to advance from the five-nation tournament, is now under added pressure after losing points from a game that was supposed to be a comfortable one against a lower-ranked Guernsey team. The rainout evens out the playing field and offers a big chance to both Jersey and Italy, two teams still in the running to challenge for the top two qualification positions.

With only the top two from this round-robin tournament making it to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year, each point is critical. Scotland had begun their campaign on a strong note, but the weather-triggered no-result interrupted the momentum and can have a long-lasting effect on their net run rate and table standing.

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Rain Forces No-Result in Key Clash, Qualification Race Wide Open

The abandoned match results in Scotland and Guernsey both getting one point. Underdogs of the group Guernsey might consider this a positive result against a much superior side, while Scotland will regret the missed chance to enhance their qualification effort.

The teams for the game consisted of a combination of tested campaigners and youth. Scotland's team was capped with known faces such as George Munsey, Richie Berrington, and Safyaan Sharif, whereas Guernsey had captain Oliver Nightingale and wicketkeeper Isaac Damarell.

As the event continues, Scotland will have to recover fast and win their other matches comprehensively. On the other hand, the likes of Jersey and Italy will be looking at this postponed match as a golden opportunity to disrupt the standings and fight for their position on the world stage. As the race to the World Cup intensifies, the weather has provided yet another element of uncertainty to an already closely fought tournament.

The road to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 officially begins in The Hague, Netherlands, as the ICC T20 World Cup Europe Region Final 2025 kicks off today, July 5, at Sportpark Westvliet. Five European nations, the Netherlands, Scotland, Italy, Jersey, and Guernsey, will battle it out for two coveted spots in next year’s global tournament set to take place in India and Sri Lanka.

Tournament Overview

• Dates: July 5 – July 11, 2025
• Venue: Sportpark Westvliet, The Hague, Netherlands
• Format: Single round-robin (each team plays 4 matches)
• Qualification: The Top 2 teams qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026
• Total Matches: 10
• Match Days: July 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11

Participating Teams & Captains

Full Schedule & Match Timings (IST)

July 5 (Saturday):

• Netherlands vs Jersey – 2:30 PM IST
• Italy vs Guernsey – 7:30 PM IST

July 6 (Sunday):

• Guernsey vs Scotland – 2:30 PM IST
• Italy vs Jersey – 7:30 PM IST

July 8 (Tuesday):

• Guernsey vs Jersey – 2:30 PM IST
• Scotland vs Netherlands – 7:30 PM IST

July 9 (Wednesday):

• Italy vs Scotland – 2:30 PM IST 
• Guernsey vs Netherlands – 7:30 PM IST

July 11 (Friday):

• Scotland vs Jersey – 2:30 PM IST
• Netherlands vs Italy – 7:30 PM IST

Key Players to Watch

• Netherlands: Max O'Dowd, Scott Edwards, Roelof van der Merwe
• Scotland: Richie Berrington, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey
• Italy: Joe Burns, Grant Stewart, Syed Naqvi
• Jersey: Benjamin Ward, Julius Sumerauer, Asa Tribe
• Guernsey: Matthew Stokes, Josh Butler, Anthony Stokes

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Full Squads

Netherlands

Scott Edwards (C), Max O’Dowd, Roelof van der Merwe, Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Ryan Klein, Kyle Klein, Hidde Overdijk, Michael Levitt, Noah Croes, Saqib Zulfiqar, Daniel Doram, Zach Lion-Cachet.

Scotland

Richie Berrington (C), Matthew Cross, George Munsey, Brandon McMullen, Michael Leask, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Jack Jarvis, Chris Greaves, Charlie Tear, Jasper Davidson, Chris McBride, Finlay McCreath, Bradley Currie, Oli Hairs.

Italy

Joe Burns (C), Grant Stewart, Marcus Campopiano, Emilio Gay, Ben Manenti, Harry Manenti, Crishan Kalugamage, Zain Ali, Thomas Draca, Jaspreet Singh, Syed Naqvi, Justin Mosca, Anthony Mosca, Gian-Piero Meade, Bilal Khan.

Jersey

Chuggy Perchard (C), Ben Ward, Asa Tribe, Zak Tribe, Jonty Jenner, Nick Greenwood, Charlie Brennan, Harrison Carlyon, Julius Sumerauer, Jake Dunford, Patrick Gouge, Dominic Blampied, George Richardson, Will Perchard, Theo Pullman.

Guernsey

Ollie Nightingale (C), Matt Stokes, Anthony Stokes, Josh Butler, Adam Martel, Declan Martel, Tom Nightingale, Ben Ferbrache, Alex Bushell, Charlie Forshaw, Harry Johnson, Martin Dale Bradley, Ben Fitchet, Edward Robinson, Charles Birch.

Where to Watch

Fans in India can catch all the live action on the FanCode app and FanCode website. Geo-restrictions may apply to other regions.

What’s at Stake?

This is the final stage of European qualification for the T20 World Cup 2026. The top two teams at the end of the round-robin stage will directly qualify for the main event next year in India and Sri Lanka, joining regional qualifiers and automatic entrants like England and Ireland.

With the Netherlands and Scotland starting as favorites, and the likes of Italy and Jersey boasting strong X-factors, fans are in for a thrilling week of Associate-level T20 action.