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Italy has truly made the unexpected happen, conquering what many considered impossible. Their recently qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, marks a historic first for the nation.
A majority of people associate Italy with football, disregarding the thought of cricket being their forte. Football is the major sport that comes to one's mind when the discussion is about Italy, just like pasta. Therefore, the nation's first-ever qualification for the T20 World Cup broke the internet in no time.
While Italy in the T20 World Cup still sounds surreal, the game of cricket has a surprisingly deep and often overlooked historical ties to the country.
Explore the stunning history of cricket in Italy and their correlation with football as a sport.
Cricket in Italy: A Hidden History!
The first time cricket was even mentioned in Italy was way back in 1973. That's over 230 years ago, when a match was played among Admiral Horatio Nelson's sailors when they stopped at Naples.
Then, about a century later, Englishmen living and working in Italy, especially around busy port cities, started establishing cricket clubs. Around the end of the 19th century, several combined cricket and football clubs were formed, but they soon forgot about cricket and emphasised football to make it reach the highest level.
One of the most striking examples is AC Milan, the Italian football club that recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. They were founded in 1899 as the Milan Cricket and Football Club by Englishmen, with cricket actually coming first in their name.
Another example is the oldest Italian football club, Genoa CFC, which was also founded as the Genoa Cricket and Football Club.
Thus, no matter how surreal the qualification of Italy in the T20 World Cup might sound, their deep-rooted history is a clear indication of cricket actually coming first in their nation. The game is not just a fluke, but built on a foundation that's far richer and older than most people realise!
Italy heading to the World Cup 2026
Italy national cricket team is currently ranked 32nd in the ICC T20I ranking. Starting from 2012, they appeared in the T20 World Cup qualifiers 4 times, and this was the first time ever they made it to the top 2, securing their T20 World Cup 2026 spot.
The team fought so hard in the European Qualifiers that even after losing their last match to the Netherlands, they managed to qualify for the T20 World Cup 2026, based on their high net run rate.
This amazing achievement really shows how cricket as a game has evolved in Italy and how determined their team is to make it big this time.