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Kathmandu, October 17: Nepal has created history by winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia and East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier title, defeating Samoa by a massive 124-run margin in the final match held in Oman on Friday.

With this victory, Nepal not only remained undefeated throughout the tournament but also claimed the qualifier trophy for the first time. The triumph marks Nepal’s third qualification for the ICC T20 World Cup, having previously appeared in the 2014 and 2024 editions.

In the Super Six standings, Nepal topped the table with 10 points, followed by Oman with 8 points and United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 6 points. All three teams — Nepal, Oman, and UAE — have booked their places in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Winning the toss, Samoa invited Nepal to bat first. Nepal put on a commanding total of 211 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in 20 overs.
Opener Aasif Sheikh played a brilliant knock of 69 runs off 41 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes. Dipendra Singh Airee continued his fine form, smashing 53 runs from 33 balls with two fours and four sixes.
Lokesh Bam remained unbeaten on 39, while skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel added an unbeaten 21 runs to guide Nepal to a strong finish.

In reply, Samoa was restricted to 87 runs for 7 wickets in 20 overs. Sean Solia top-scored for Samoa with 40 runs, but the rest of the batting lineup failed to resist Nepal’s bowling attack.

On the bowling side, Lalit Rajbanshi took 3 wickets, while Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Captain Rohit Paudel picked up one wicket each.

Nepal’s commanding all-round performance capped off an impressive campaign, giving fans across the country reason to celebrate. The victory not only secured Nepal’s spot in the T20 World Cup 2026 but also underscored its growing stature in international cricket.