USA women cruise to Under-19 World Cup qualification in the Cayman Islands

The USA will make a third consecutive appearance at the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup after winning the 2026 Americas Qualifier over the weekend in the Cayman Islands.

Led by ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 squad member and senior international Chetna Pagydyala, the side went unbeaten, winning six matches and finishing six points clear of nearest rivals Canada.

The side asserted their dominance with an eight-wicket win over the Canadians on the first day at the Jimmy Powell Oval. Holding the Canadians to 65/7 with three wicket hauls from Mahek Desai and Saanvi Immadi, the side completed their chase inside 11 overs.

The team would go on to sweep Canada with a second win over their North American rivals on the final day, also completing a pair of triumphs over Argentina and NextGen XI, a composite side made up of players from elsewhere in the Americas region.

Desai went on to finish as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament (16), also claiming Player of the Tournament honours.

The side under Pagydyala aim to match or even better the 2025 team that at one point were outside chances of a semifinal spot in Malaysia, qualifying for the Super Six stage of the tournament and holding New Zealand to just 97, only to fall by 18 runs.

The Americans join Samoa (East Asia-Pacific) and the United Arab Emirates (Asia) in booking their 2027 tickets via regional qualification, with Africa and Europe qualifiers to be held later in the year.