We now head into our final Group of the World Cup featuring New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa, UAE, and Canada. Who will make it to the Super 8?
New Zealand
The Kiwis are a proud nation who love cricket tournaments.
They may have only the World Test Championship to show as their sole piece of silverware, but as runners-up in the 50-Over World Cup twice and a T20 finalist in 2021, they remain a fiercely competitive side.
In 2024, they had a disappointing campaign, finishing third in Group C after losing their final two games against the West Indies and Afghanistan.
Can they put in a better performance this time?
Schedule
Sunday 8th February: New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Chennai: 05:30
Tuesday 10th February: New Zealand vs UAE: Chennai: 09:30
Saturday 14th February: New Zealand vs South Africa: Ahmedabad 13:30
Tuesday 17th February: New Zealand vs Canada: Chennai: 05:30
Squad:
Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson*, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
Finn Allen
The explosive right-hander is one of the keys to New Zealand’s chances in this tournament.
1,365 runs in 53 T20is, at a strike rate of 165.45 and average of 26.25 is a healthy stat for a batsman in this format.
He also reached 150 in just 49 balls in the MLC (Major League Cricket) competition, the fastest 150 in T20 cricket.
His 137 against Pakistan is the highest score by a New Zealand Batsman in T20Is.
If it’s his day, he can single-handedly win a match on his own.
How destructive will he be in this tournament?
South Africa
The 2024 finalists are another competitive side in ICC tournaments.
They are a proud sporting nation that loves its cricket and has the Champions Trophy and World Test Championship to show for it.
Aside from reaching the final of the previous World Cup, they also reached the semis in 2009 and 2014.
How will they perform in this tournament?
Schedule:
Monday 9th February South Africa vs Canada: Ahmedabad: 13;30
Wednesday 11th February: South Africa vs Afghanistan: Ahmedabad: 05:30
Saturday 14th February: New Zealand vs South Africa: Ahmedabad 13:30
Wednesday 18th February: South Africa vs UAE: Delhi 05:30
Squad:
Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs
One to Watch: DEwald Brevis
The big hitter from Johannesburg is the player to watch for South Africa. Though he sits in 17th place in the T20 rankings, he is someone who can take the game away from the opposition if it’s his day.
His record in T2OIs proves that with 490 runs in 22 games, at a strike rate of 171.32.
He was the second-highest scorer of the SA20 in 2025-26, with 370 runs at a rate of 156.11.
In October 2022, he scored 162 runs off just 57 balls for the Titans.
This is the highest individual score by a South African in T20 cricket.
His 125 not out made him the youngest South African to score a century in a T20 International.
How much destruction will he cause in this tournament?
Afghanistan
The Afghans are another side who love the big stage.
In the last T20 World Cup, they made it to the semi-final, but lost to South Africa by nine wickets.
In the previous seven editions, they made the Super 12 twice, Super 10 in 2016, and three Group Stage appearances.
What will they do in this edition?
schedule:
Sunday 8th February: New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Chennai: 05:30
Wednesday 11th February: South Africa vs Afghanistan: Ahmedabad: 05:30
Monday 16th February: Afghanistan vs UAE: Delhi: 05:30
Thursday 19th February: Afghanistan vs Canada: 13:30
Squad:
Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ishaq Rahimi, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmadzai, Farid Ahmad Malik
One To Watch: Rashid Khan
The Captain is an absolute superstar in this format.
187 wickets in 111 matches at an economy rate of 6.02 is a great record to have as a bowler in this format.
The thing that makes him the bowler that he is isn’t just because of his variations; it’s also because he can read the mind of the batsman and adjust to what he is trying to do.
He can also be destructive with the bat, with 602 runs at a strike rate of 131.44.
One fun fact about him is that he has hat-tricks across multiple franchise T20 Leagues.
No other bowler has done that.
Can he rise to the occasion?
UAE
The United Arab Emirates will play in its third T20 World Cup in the space of 12 years.
In their previous tournaments(2014 and 2022), they did not make it past the Group Stage.
They booked their place via the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier tournament.
They reached the Super 6 of that tournament and cemented their World Cup spot via a top-three finish.
What can they do in this tournament?
Schedule:
Tuesday 10th February: New Zealand vs UAE: Chennai: 09:30
Friday 13th February: Canada vs UAE: Delhi: 09:30
Monday 16th February: Afghanistan vs UAE: Delhi: 05:30
Wednesday 18th February: South Africa vs UAE: Delhi 05:30
Squad:
Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
One To Watch: Muhammed Waseem
Captain Waseem is the most experienced batter for the UAE.
He has 3,236 runs in 93 T201s, at a strike rate of 150.79, with three hundreds and 29 fifties.
His batting and leadership will be a crucial asset to the side in this tournament.
In terms of historic feats achieved, he is the second-fastest in T20Is to reach 3,000 runs in terms of balls faced — just 1,947.
Only Suryakumar Yadav has done it faster in 1,822 balls.
What sort of impact can he have on the UAE in this tournament?
Canada
2024 was the nation’s first appearance in the T20 World Cup, after they earned T20I status by the ICC in 2018.
However, Pakistan, India, and the USA proved to be far superior to them in the group stage, so an early exit was on the cards.
They hosted the 2025 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Regional Final in Ontario, Canada.
It was a tournament that featured them, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands.
Canada booked their place in the World Cup via a seven-wicket win over the Bahamas, which saw them finish top of the group.
How will they do in this tournament?
Schedule:
Monday 9th February South Africa vs Canada: Ahmedabad: 13;30
Friday 13th February: Canada vs UAE: Delhi: 09:30
Tuesday 17th February: New Zealand vs Canada: Chennai: 05:30
Thursday 19th February: Afghanistan vs Canada: 13:30
Squad
Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra
One To Watch: Dilpreet Bajwa
Another nation where its captain holds the key to their success in this tournament.
397 runs at a strike rate of 133.26 and an average of 28,35 is a solid record in this format, and he would want to make good use of it.
He was the first Canadian to score a century in the Global T20 Canada, with 100 off 55 balls for the Montreal Tigers, including 10 fours and six sixes.
The World Cup will also be his first stint as Captain. He has never led a team out on the field before
Scoring a T20 century, especially as the first from your country in a major league, is a rare and memorable achievement. It was one that helped put Bajwa’s name on the map well before he led Canada at a World Cup.
Can he rise to the occasion?
So that’t it for our final group of the T20 World Cup.
Who will make it to the Super Eight?
Find out on World In Sport.