Italy's historic T20 World Cup 2026 qualification boosts European cricket; ‘BCCI will play a key role’: Wayne Madsen

In 2024, the Italian town of Monfalcone controversially banned cricket, with its Mayor Anna Maria Cisint claiming the sport had no place in local culture. Just a year later, Italy have scripted history by qualifying for their first-ever T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, next month. The achievement comes at a time when Italy's men's national football team has struggled for consistency over the past decade.

Italy, a nation celebrated for its four FIFA World Cup titles, motorsport dominance (Formula 1 and MotoGP) and cycling (Giro d'Italia), has a lesser-known cricketing past. The sport was revived in the 1980s when the ICC recognised Italian cricket in 1984, making it the first Affiliate Member from Europe.

Over the decades, cricket in Italy developed through domestic competitions such as Serie A1, Serie A2 (50-over), Coppa Italia (T20), youth leagues and a women's Serie A. The turning point in Italian cricket came in 2023, when the Federazione Cricket Italiana (F.CR.I) welcomed heritage cricketers, blending local passion with international experience.

Under Joe Burns, Italy finished second in the European Qualifiers behind the Netherlands, paving the way for their World Cup debut, thus breaking the monopoly of England, the Netherlands and Scotland.

“Cricket as a sport is not widely known in Italy. The opportunity to play at the World Cup, and cricket being shown on TV, which will inspire the youngsters and next generation to take up the game,” Madsen told LiveMint in an exclusive interaction from Rome.

He added, “It's not just that we go there and not perform. We want to perform. We have players, the matchwinners in the team and the ability to be able to create an upset. That's what we want to do as a group - perform but also leave a legacy and inspire the next generation of cricketers within Italy.”

With limited infrastructure at home, Italian cricketers have trained in Sri Lanka, England, South Africa and Australia ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. Madsen, 42, highlighted the use of technology in keeping the squad connected despite geographical separation.

He said, “Since we are not together at the moment, it's obviously important to stay connected, and thankfully, now, the way the world works with the internet, we are able to do that. We can be in the same room together, almost.”

“Nepal, our second game, that's one that we really have to target to win,” Madsen said. “We have an opportunity to showcase our skills, and we don't want to look too far ahead as a team, take one step at a time and do what we can do best,” added the right-handed batter.

Ahead of the mega event, Italy upset Ireland in the third T20I after losing the first two. The three-match series was a part of Italy's final preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026. The Madsen & Co will play against Namibia in an unofficial T20 game and a few warm-up games, the schedule of which is yet to be announced.

“Obviously, BCCI play a big part in the ICC, but to grow the game globally, the game expanding its borders really and that's what us being at this World Cup is going to do. European cricket is going to take off, and the BCCI will play a key role in that,” Madsen opined.

The influence of the BCCI within the ICC is expected to accelerate cricket's expansion across Europe. As Madsen concluded, "We want to grow the game across Europe and not just in Italy," he concluded.