The race for T20 World Cup semi-final spots comes down to the last day of the group stage
T20 World Cup finals race: One semi-final spot to be determined
Group 1
1. Australia (8 points)
Played 4 | Won 4 | Lost 0 | NRR 4.724
To come:
Australia are the only undefeated team in Group 1 with one match remaining before the semi-finals. All four of those wins have been dominant, giving them a strong net run-rate advantage.
They've locked in a semi-final berth, and essentially have locked in top spot given how dominant their NRR is, regardless of the result in their final group game. Australia will nevertheless be determined to keep the winning momentum rolling as they head into the semis with a win over their fierce rivals that would also likely see South Africa join them in the final four.
Australia now know they will face the West Indies in their semi-final, who snuck in even after their upset defeat to Ireland because New Zealand failed to beat England.
The remaining question is which semi-final, given the ICC's playing conditions stipulate that India, if they qualify, must play the first semi-final on Tuesday, regardless if they finish first or second in their group. So Australia's progress now boils down to: beat India, play a day-time semi-final on Tuesday (tipped to be the coolest day this coming week); or lose to India and play an evening semi-final on Thursday.
2. India (6 points)
Played 4 | Won 3 | Lost 1 | NRR 2.268
To come:
India did the necessary by accounting for Bangladesh on Thursday, and now must win their final match against Australia to give themselves a shot at the semi-finals. With South Africa expected to account for Bangladesh in Sunday's early match, India will need the win, and their NRR advantage over the Proteas would be enough to see them through. If they lose against the Aussies and South Africa beat Bangladesh in their final match, it will be tournament over for India.
If they roll Australia, they will be into the semi-finals. The ICC playing conditions that stipulate they must play in the first semi-final on Tuesday if they qualify, means if they do reach the final four they will face Group 2 leaders England at The Oval.
3. South Africa (6 points)
Played 4 | Won 3 | Lost 1 | NRR 0.734
To come:
The Proteas are coming home with a wet sail, and followed up their big win over India by thumping the Netherlands as expected. But their fate is not entirely in their own hands. The heavy loss to Australia in their opening match hurt their NRR, and if a scenario arises where multiple teams are locked on eight points, they face the prospect of being left out in the cold because of that NRR.
Essentially, the Proteas must beat Bangladesh by as big a margin as possible, then sit back and watch what unfolds at Lord's in the Australia v India clash to know if they're continuing to the semi-finals or heading home. If they fail to beat Bangladesh, then the Aussie-India match will become irrelevant. An Australia win against India at Lord's will mean South Africa can look forward to a semi-final against England at The Oval on Thursday.
4. Bangladesh (4 points)
Played 4 | Won 2 | Lost 2 | NRR -0.849
To come:
Bangladesh's ambitions in the tournament are over following defeat to India in Manchester on Thursday night. They can still impact the semi-final race - if they beat South Africa in their final group game it would take all the pressure of India in their final match against the Aussies and secure their passage to the semi-finals. If they lose heavily to the Proteas, it will have the opposite effect, and really turn up the head on the Indians if South Africa get a big enough boost to their net run rate.
5. Pakistan (2 points)
Played 5 | Won 1 | Lost 4 | NRR -1.872
Pakistan ended a disappointing tournament on a high note, seeing off the Netherlands in Bristol.
6. Netherlands (0 points)
Played 5 | Won 0 | Lost 5 | NRR -3.276
Netherlands did not manage to win at game at their maiden T20 tournament but have won plenty of praise for the spirited way they've approached the World Cup.
Group 2
1. England (10 points)
Played 5 | Won 5 | Lost 0 | NRR 2.134
England have been dominant throughout Group 2, winning all five matches by a hefty margin. Facing a New Zealand team that needed a win to vault into the semi-final places, they smacked them by nine wickets to make them the team to beat in the final four.
But the host nation have no guarantees which semi-final they will be playing and like the rest of the tournament will be watching the final group stage clash between Australia and India with interest. It's all because of the ICC's playing conditions stipulation that India gets preferrential billing for the semi-final. For England, that means if India beat the Aussies, then the Group 2 winners will play India at The Oval on Tuesday. If the Aussies win, then England will play South Africa (almost certainly) at The Oval on Thursday.
2. West Indies (6 points)
Played 5 | Won 3 | Lost 2 | NRR -0.147
A shock loss to Ireland in their final group match left West Indies facing an anxious wait to learn their fate in the tournament, but England's dominance favoured them as the hosts brushed aside New Zealand, who could have leapfrogged the Caribbean team for a spot in the final four.
Their prize is a semi-final against Australia at The Oval on either Tuesday or Thursday, pending the outcome of the Australia-India clash.
3. Sri Lanka (6 points)
Played 5 | Won 3 | Lost 2 | NRR -0.725
Sri Lanka prevailed over Scotland in a penultimate ball thriller in their final group stage game, but the margin wasn't enough to give them the necessary NRR boost. Even after West Indies lost to Ireland they remained third on the table, officially out of contention.
4. New Zealand (4 points)
Played 5 | Won 2 | Lost 3 | NRR -0.118
Their reign as defending champions ended with a whimper, crushed by nine wickets by England when a semi-final spot was theirs for the taking. It's been a disappointing campaign from the White Ferns, losing their opening two matches to West Indies and Sri Lanka, with only narrow wins against Ireland and Scotland. A poor way to send off retiring legends Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine.
5. Scotland (2 points)
Played 5 | Won 1 | Lost 4 | NRR -0.232
Scotland have impressed at this tournament, beating Ireland first up before falling just short against West Indies. They pushed England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the latter until the second last ball of the match but were unable to secure a second win.
6. Ireland (2 points)
Played 5 | Won 1 | Lost 4 | NRR -0.875
Finally, after five appearances at separate T20 World Cups, Ireland have won their first match at the tournament. They upset West Indies in Bristol to throw a late twist in the semi-finals race, making history for themselves in the process.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 standings
Round 1
Group 1
| Team | M | W | L | T | D | N/R | NRR | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
AUS
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.882 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
|
2
SA
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.633 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
|
3
IND
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.718 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
|
4
BAN
|
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.71 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
|
5
PAK
|
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.872 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
|
6
NED
|
5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.276 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
Group 2
| Team | M | W | L | T | D | N/R | NRR | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
ENG
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.134 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
|
2
WI
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.147 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
|
3
SL
|
5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.725 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
|
4
NZ
|
5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.118 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
|
5
SCO
|
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.232 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
|
6
IRE
|
5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.875 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 Finals
Semi-final 1: The Oval, London, June 30, 11:30pm AEST
Semi-final 2: The Oval, London, July 2 (3:30am July 3 AEST)
Final: Lord's, London, July 5, 11:30pm AEST
Click here for the full tournament schedule
All matches will be broadcast on Amazon's Prime Video