Overview:
Cancellation of Kenya tour shortens preparation window as Uganda's Cricket Cranes brace for a demanding qualification pathway toward Australia and New Zealand.
The road to the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will begin to take shape this October, but for Uganda’s Cricket Cranes, the journey has already been shortened by the cancellation of the planned Kenya tour.
Uganda’s busy October schedule was originally designed to combine bilateral cricket with tournament preparation, beginning with a six-match trip to Nairobi. However, the cancellation of the Kenya series means the Cricket Cranes now have a slimmer programme before they enter the serious business of T20 World Cup qualification.
The planned Kenya-Uganda bilateral series was scheduled for October 5 to 13, 2026, featuring three 50-over matches and three T20 fixtures against their East African neighbours.
That short trip has since been called off, leaving Uganda with practice games against Jersey and the ICC Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Nigeria as the key fixtures on their October calendar.
Unlike the cancelled Kenya tour, which was intended for the senior national team, the Jersey assignment will be handled by Uganda A.
Uganda A will face Jersey at the Entebbe Cricket Oval on October 17 and 18, giving the second string side an opportunity to test itself in match conditions.
The senior Cricket Cranes will then head to West Africa for the ICC Sub-Regional Qualifier C, which will be held in Abuja, Nigeria, from October 18 to 25, 2026.
Uganda will be among six teams chasing progress in the tournament, alongside Gambia, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia and hosts Nigeria.
The participating teams will battle for the top two positions, with the two teams that advance earning places in next year’s regional final.
For Uganda, this is the beginning of another long qualification journey towards the 2028 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be staged in Australia and New Zealand.
The 2028 tournament will follow the 2026 T20 World Cup and will feature 20 teams, meaning qualification will require countries outside the automatically qualified group to negotiate a demanding regional and global pathway.
The 12 direct places
Australia and New Zealand, as the co-hosts, qualify automatically for the 2028 tournament.
Eight other teams earned direct qualification by reaching the Super Eight stage of the 2026 T20 World Cup. They are Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, West Indies, England, South Africa and New Zealand.
New Zealand therefore qualified through two routes as a co-host and as one of the 2026 Super Eight teams.
The remaining direct qualification places were awarded according to the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, with Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland securing their berths. That accounts for the 12 direct places.
Eight places through the qualifiers
The remaining eight tournament places will be fought for through the global qualification pathway. Teams must first negotiate sub-regional and regional qualifiers across five global divisions, with the regional competitions providing eight slots for the Global Qualifier.
Global Region | allocated spots for Global Qualifier
Africa – Two spots
Asia and Europe – Two each
The Americas and East Asia-Pacific – One spot each
The best-performing teams from the regional finals will then join other predetermined Associate sides in the 16-team Global Qualifier. From there, the teams will battle for the final eight places at the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
For Uganda, therefore, the route begins in Abuja. The cancellation of the Kenya series has reduced the Cricket Cranes’ October workload, but it has not reduced the importance of the month. Uganda A will first get the opportunity to face Jersey at Entebbe, before the senior side takes its place among six nations in Nigeria, with a regional pathway to negotiate.