We are not even one week into the 2026 T20 World Cup and fans of various teams have already started using their calculators to find out the possible qualification scenarios of their favorite teams. One such team is Afghanistan from Group D. Afghanistan have had to face a tough start to their campaign with two defeats in two games.

They started off with a defeat against New Zealand in their tournament opener where the Black caps pulled off a 5 wicket win. Their second game however was a nailbiting thriller. After sustaining the first super over, Afghanistan went down against South Africa in the second super over by just four runs. With two defeats and zero points to their name, Afghanistan’s chances are hanging by a thread and they are ever so close to elimination until they can turn the tables around.

Let’s explore the possible qualification scenarios for Afghanistan: 1. Win all of the remaining games

First up, Afghanistan need to win both of their remaining games against the UAE and Canada to keep their hopes alive because only then will the other scenarios come into play. A failure to do so will confirm their elimination. Moreover, they need to improve their Net Run Rate (NRR) to avoid any problems at the end.

Also Read | South Africa vs Afghanistan was best game in the history of World Cups: Irfan Pathan 2. Other results have to go their way

Even after winning both of their group stage fixtures, Afghanistan will need other results to also go their way. New Zealand will also have to win both their matches against UAE and South Africa in order to finish at the top. If the Black Caps manage to do so, UAE will have to defeat South Africa and Canada will have to get the better of UAE. This will mean that both Afghanistan and South Africa will be locked at four points and then NRR will come into play.

Just in case, South Africa wins both of their matches, Canada will have to beat New Zealand and UAE will need to defeat Canada. After this, both Afghanistan and New Zealand will be on level terms with four points each and the team with a better NRR will go through.