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For the first time ever, Italy, Germany and Denmark will be given the opportunity to host an ICC event next year, announced the governing body of cricket on Thursday.
"Next year will see three new countries given the opportunity to host an ICC event for the first time, with Italy, Germany and Denmark joining seasoned hosts Scotland and Guernsey in a packed summer of ICC pathway cricket in Europe in 2024," the ICC said in a statement. A record 30 countries will compete in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Europe Sub-Regional Qualifiers, with three tournaments happening between June and August in Italy, Germany and Guernsey, it said. During the same period, qualification for the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup 2025 will be up for grabs as Scotland and Netherlands do battle in August, whilst eight countries will compete in the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Europe Division 2 Qualifier in Denmark on the road to the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2026. In a clear sign of the growth and expansion of cricket into new territories, Germany and Italy feature as first-time hosts in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualification pathway. Both countries impressed at the recent Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Europe Final, and are relishing the opportunity to deepen the connection with local fans and players by competing in an ICC tournament on home soil, the ICC said. Severin Weiss, President of the Deutscher Cricket Bund said: "We are looking forward to hosting our first international tournament in July in Krefeld and Gelsenkirchen, which will bring new popularity and awareness to the sport in Germany. The recent landmark decision by the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) in Germany to accept the German Cricket Association as its 100th member alongside the inclusion of cricket in the Olympics in 2028 will see a major upswing in participation and awareness of the sport in Germany. Hosting this event in 2024 will be a great opportunity for us to showcase to Europe and the world what German cricket has to offer." Fabio Marabini, President of Federazione Cricket Italiana said: "It is with extreme pleasure that we acknowledge that our bid to host the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Europe Sub Regional Qualifier has been successful. The event will take place in two of the best grounds in Italy located in Rome and Aprilia. Cricket Italy will make sure that the tournament is a great sporting event for all the participating countries. We are looking forward to hosting athletes, coaches and team staff from our European neighbours in Italy next summer." Andy Wright, ICC Regional Development Manager - Europe said: "We are delighted to announce the schedule for the Europe Qualifiers for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. This will, once again, be our biggest summer of cricket in Europe with no fewer than 30 countries entering the qualification pathway between June and August 2024." "We are also excited to be hosting these events in Germany and Italy for the first time and wish to thank the DCB and FCrI (Cricket Italy) for all their hard work to date. Taking the third qualifier to Guernsey is a testament to the outstanding job they did in hosting our U19 Men's CWC Europe Division 2 Qualifier back in 2022, and we are pleased to be bringing men's international cricket back to the Bailiwick." Scotland will play host to the Netherlands as both teams compete in the ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier in August. With direct qualification to the 2025 edition of the global event on the line, the stakes will be high for both teams. Scotland will aim to replicate their success from the previous qualification campaign, when they secured qualification with a 3-0 series win over the same opposition to clinch a spot at the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2023. With a new generation coming through on both sides, odds will be even going into this tournament. In July, Denmark will also debut as hosts of an ICC pathway event with the U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Europe Division 2 Qualifier. With games being played in the 50-over format and eight teams competing, the event will have four grounds in operation across Copenhagen to accommodate an action-packed schedule. A minimum of two teams will progress from this event to the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Europe Qualifier taking place in the summer of 2025. Alex Olsen - CEO of Cricket Denmark said: "It is a super exciting task for Danish Cricket to host the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Europe Division 2 Qualifier in July 2024. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Denmark. Our lovely capital Copenhagen contains a number of excellent cricket grounds which will be the setting for the event. The young boys in our sport deserve the best and we will ensure that all the young participants have a positive experience they can remember for the rest of their lives." -2024 Schedule of Events: 1). ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier A Host: Italy Dates: 9-16 June 2024 Participating Teams: Italy, Portugal, Isle of Man, Austria, France, Romania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Turkiye, Israel 2). ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier B Host: Germany Dates: 7-14 July 2024 Participating Teams: Jersey, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Serbia, Gibraltar, Croatia, Slovenia 3). ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Qualifier C Host: Guernsey Dates: 21-28 August 2024 Participating Teams: Spain, Guernsey, Denmark, Finland, Czech Republic, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, Estonia 4). ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup Europe Division 2 Qualifier Host: Denmark Dates: 24-30 July 2024 Participating Teams: Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Isle of Man, Denmark, Sweden, France, Belgium 5). ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier Host: Scotland Dates: 1-4 August 2024 Participating Teams: Scotland, Netherlands. (ANI)
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