Japan, Fiji and PNG bid for U19 World Cup spot in East Asia-Pacific Qualifier

• Three teams are competing to become the 14th nation to qualify for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026
• Six-day competition begins on Thursday in Sano, Japan
• An infographic detailing the qualification pathway for the event can be found on the ICC Online Media Zone

The next pathway event on the road to the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia begins on Thursday with the best young players from three nations vying for a World Cup spot through the East-Asia-Pacific Qualifier.

Six matches in double round-robin format will be held across six days, with hosts Japan competing alongside Fiji and winners of last year’s Division 2 Qualifier, Papua New Guinea (PNG), where only the table-topping side will progress to the U19 Men’s CWC.

Fiji and Japan will be hoping to secure their second appearance at the celebrated event, following past campaigns in 2016 and 2020 respectively, while victory for PNG will see them feature at an U19 Men’s CWC for the tenth time, and first since 2022.

The Sano International Cricket Ground will stage the action, with Japan kicking off their bid against PNG on opening day, before the event concludes with PNG and Fiji going head-to-head on 29 April.

All matches in the ICC U19 Men’s CWC East Asia-Pacific Qualifier will be available to watch live on Japan Cricket Association’s Youtube channel.

Acting Regional Development Manager for ICC East Asia-Pacific, Toby Cohen, said: “The U19 Men’s CWC East Asia-Pacific Qualifier has a rich history of helping to develop and showcase the region’s best emerging talent. It is a testament to the benefits of competitive, high quality junior international cricket that many of these players will go on to represent their country for years to come at international level.

“I would like to wish Japan, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea all the very best, and extend my sincere thanks to Japan Cricket Association for hosting this event and providing a platform for young cricketers to shine at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

“With only one spot available to the main event, this promises to be a highly competitive and engaging week of cricket.”

Head of Cricket Operations for the Japan Cricket Association, Alan Curr, said: “This is the first time our Under 19 team will be in action on home soil since 2019 when we last qualified for a World Cup.

“We hope this new group of players can take inspiration from that achievement and build on the excellent progress they have made to earn their own chance to play the best in the world.”

16 teams will be competing at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 in Zimbabwe and Namibia and the winners in Sano will become the 14th nation confirmed at the event.

Ten teams automatically qualified for the event as the best-placed Full Member nations from the 2024 edition: Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Full Member hosts of the World Cup in 2026, Zimbabwe have also secured automatic qualification.

The remaining five spots are determined through regional qualification pathways, with only the winning team from each regional Qualifier advancing to the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026.

Tanzania became the first team to qualify through this route last month with victory at the Africa Qualifier, while Afghanistan also booked their World Cup ticket after clinching last week’s Asia Qualifier in Nepal.

An infographic detailing the qualification pathway for the event can be found on the ICC Online Media Zone.

ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier match schedule:

All matches to be played at the Sano International Cricket Ground, starting at 10am local time (JST)

Thursday 24 April – Japan v PNG

Friday 25 April – Japan v Fiji

Saturday 26 April – Fiji v PNG

Sunday 27 April – Japan v PNG

Monday 28 April – Japan v Fiji

Tuesday 29 April – PNG v Fiji