With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 surpassing its halfway mark, several teams have secured their Super Eight qualification, whereas a few others have officially been knocked out of the race. Although a few more are on the brink of elimination, the UAE, who are appearing in only their second T20 World Cup in the tournament history, are also more or less out of the competition.
Placed in Group D alongside South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Canada, the UAE have registered only one win in three matches and are fourth in their group standings with only 2 points and a net run rate of -0.797. On February 16, they had a chance to pull off an upset over Afghanistan. While their batters did not click as they posted 160/9, their bowlers still offered some hope. Afghanistan needed 52 off the last five overs but Azmatullah Omarzai played a fine knock of 21-ball 40 to chase that target down in the final over. Omarzai also played a crucial role in the bowling, bagging 4 wickets for just 15 runs in 4 overs.
Here in this article, let’s look at the UAE’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign and how they fared from their previous participation.
UAE’s performance in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
UAE vs New Zealand
Speaking of their inaugural game in T20 World Cup 2026, UAE were handed a 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of New Zealand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. After posting 173 against a competitive side with half-centuries coming from Muhammad Waseem (66) and Alishan Sharafu (55), New Zealand made a mockery of them as they chased the total in 15.2 overs.
Canada vs UAE
IN their next game, UAE were scheduled to play Canada, where they reigned supreme against the American side by a 5-wicket margin. On the back of 53-ball 74* from Aryansh Sharma and 51 from Sohaib Khan, UAE chased the 151-run target in 19.4 overs to get their sole victory.
UAE vs Afghanistan
Following their win over Canada, UAE played Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi and were handed a 5-wicket defeat. After posting 160/9 in 20 overs, the UAE bowlers failed to restrict their opponents as Afghanistan chased the total in 19.2 overs, courtesy half-century from Ibrahim Zadran and an unbeaten 40 off 21 balls from Azmatullah Omarzai.
UAE’s performance in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
| Date | Match Details | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 10 | UAE vs New Zealand | New Zealand won by 10 wickets | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| February 13 | Canada vs UAE | UAE won by 5 wickets | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| February 16 | UAE vs Afghanistan | Afghanistan won by 5 wickets | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
| February 18 | South Africa vs UAE | Yet to play | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi |
UAE’s performance in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022
The UAE earned their first win of the T20 World Cup in 2022. After losing their first two matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, UAE beat Namibia by 7 runs in Geelong. However, UAE failed to progress to the next round.
| Date | Match Details | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2022 | UAE vs Netherlands | Netherlands won by 3 wickets | Geelong |
| Oct 18, 2022 | UAE vs Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka won by 79 runs | Geelong |
| Oct 20, 2022 | UAE vs Namibia | UAE won by 7 runs | Geelong |
UAE’s performance in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2014
In the 2014 edition of the tournament, UAE made their first-ever appearance in the tournament’s history. Placed in Group B alongside Zimbabwe, Ireland and the Netherlands, UAE failed to get a single win and were knocked out of the tournament early. Later on, Sri Lanka went on to lift the title where they defeated India in the summit clash by 6 wickets.
| Date | Match Details | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 17, 2014 | UAE vs Netherlands | Netherlands won by 6 wickets | Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet |
| March 19 | UAE vs Ireland | Ireland won by 21 runs via DLS | Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet |
| March 21 | UAE vs Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets | Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet |
