Uganda managed to make a historical achievement in late November as the national team officially qualified for the 2024 T20 World Cup. They are the second team to grab a spot, right after Namibia. This fantastic achievement is yet another showcase of Uganda's prominent rise in the world of cricket. 

A Historical 5-1 Score 

The spot in the T20 World Cup was won against Rwanda. Before that, Uganda reached a major milestone as it defeated Zimbabwe. This marked the national team’s first win over a Full Member in a T20 match. 

Out of the 6 games, Uganda won 5 and in doing so, it became the fifth African country in history to play in the T20 World Cup. As soon as Uganda managed to qualify, fans were quick to share their love and support. 

Not only did they flood social media, but hardcore enthusiasts even managed to cast their support via online bookmakers. Many consider Uganda a surprise winner of the World Cup. The best betting apps reported a massive spike in bets for Uganda.

After all, who doesn’t like a major upset, especially if the bets are so great? It is a well-known fact that online sportsbooks have far better odds than land-based sportsbooks and it seems that residents are looking forward to taking full advantage. 

Zimbabwe Weren’t As Tough as Uganda

As a Full Member, everyone was shocked to see Zimbabwe struggling to qualify for the T20 World Cup. In fact, they were the biggest favourite from Africa and many experts thought that they would be the first to secure a spot. 

They are currently in third in the regional final. They won three out of their five games and have six points. 

Information About The T20 Men’s World Cup in 2024

The 2024 T20 Men’s World Cup will be the ninth edition of this prestigious tournament. There will be a total of 20 teams divided into four groups, which is an expansion from the 2022 edition where 16 teams were competing. 

Apart from Uganda, history was made by 2 additional national teams – the USA and Canada. They too qualified for the first time. The opening ceremony and first match will take place on June 4 and the final will be held on June 30. 

The top two teams in each group will go to the Super 8 round where they will split into two groups of four teams. Then, the top two teams in each of these groups will advance and play in the semi-final. Finally, the winners from both games will participate in the final and compete to become the best in the world. 

After two years of preparation, a joint bid was made by the West Indies and the United States as hosts of the World Cup. The bid was accepted but there were slight complications in the process. 

In late 2022, it was reported that the ICC stripped the US as a co-host due to financial non-compliance and debts that were rumoured to go as high as $650,000. During that period, it was speculated that England might snatch the spot as a host. 

After all, they won the 2022 World Cup against Pakistan by five wickets and for many, it made sense for them to host it. 

However, the ICC denied all of these reports later in 2023 and the ICC confirmed that the US will be the host. 

The 20 teams that will participate in the World Cup are Uganda, the USA, Canada, England, Australia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, New Zealand, Namibia, Nepal, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, West Indies, Scotland and Ireland. 

At the moment, the top 3 favourites to win the World Cup are India, England and Australia. The ICC shortlisted several stadiums across the US and the West Indies to host the matches. The smallest ones are in Trinidad and Saint Lucia, while the biggest ones are in the USA: 

  • Kensington Oval (Barbados) – 28,000 capacity
  • Brian Lara Cricket Academy (Trinidad) – 15,000 capacity 
  • Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (Saint Lucia) – 15,000 capacity 
  • Arnos Vale Stadium (Saint Vincent) – 18,000 capacity 
  • Central Broward Park (USA) – 40,000 capacity 
  • Grand Prairie Stadium (USA) – 15,000 capacity 
  • Eisenhower Park (USA) – 34,000 capacity