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Scotland vs Italy Live Score, T20 World Cup 2026: Football powerhouse Italy will step onto cricket’s biggest stage for the first time when they face Scotland in their historic ICC T20 World Cup debut on Monday.
Four-time FIFA World Cup winners, the Azzurri are now making way for Gli Azzurri, who have scripted an unlikely cricketing journey after qualifying for the expanded 20-team tournament through the European regional qualifiers last July.
Italy finished level on five points with Channel Islanders Jersey, who stunned Scotland during the qualifiers, but the Italians secured second place behind the Netherlands on superior net run rate to seal their maiden appearance at a global ICC event.
A return to forgotten cricketing roots
For a country whose cricketing history dates back to 1793 — when English naval hero Horatio Nelson reportedly “organised the first-ever recorded game in Naples” — qualification marks a return to forgotten roots.
Remnants of that legacy still exist in Italy’s football heartland. Genoa, the country’s oldest football club founded in 1893, continues to be known as Genoa Cricket and Football Club, while AC Milan was originally formed as Milan Football & Cricket Club.
Building the game without turf wickets
More than a century later, Italy may not have a single turf wicket, but the sport is sustained by around 4,000 registered men’s players and nearly 80 clubs operating in a two-tier league system. The national side is largely built around players of Italian heritage along with first- and second-generation immigrants.
Captain Wayne Madsen, who was born in South Africa, qualifies through his Italian grandmother and is set to make his cricket World Cup debut nearly two decades after representing his native country at the hockey World Cup. Bowler Crishan Kalugamage moved to Italy from Sri Lanka at the age of 15, while wicketkeeper Marcus Campopiano was born in England to an Italian father.
The 15-man squad also features two sets of Australian brothers with Italian family connections — Harry and Ben Manenti, and Anthony and Justin Mosca — while former South Africa all-rounder JJ Smuts adds experience. Former Ireland all-rounder Kevin O’Brien is part of the coaching staff.
Limited awareness, growing belief
Despite the magnitude of the achievement, awareness back home remains limited.
“I’m sure no more than 10 per cent in the country knows that Italy is making its debut in T20 World Cup,” someone from the team said.
Madsen, however, feels the momentum is gradually building.
“I know there have been some articles in local papers, so the message is starting to get out that we’re here at the World Cup and it’s going to be our first, and it’s obviously going to be a big moment for cricket in Italy and for growing the game.
“But I think as the World Cup starts and once the games start on television, that is only going to grow further and further. So yeah, we’re expecting more momentum in that regard once the tournament is underway properly for us.”
Rivalry extends beyond cricket
Unlike their opponents, who entered the tournament late following Bangladesh’s withdrawal, Italy arrive with preparation and planning behind them. There is also a broader sporting rivalry at play. On Saturday night, Italy edged Scotland 18-15 in the Six Nations rugby in Rome.
“We saw the rugby team get one over Scotland yesterday in the Six Nations, so hopefully we can emulate that tomorrow when we start against Scotland,” said the Italian skipper.
Form suggests Italy won’t be pushovers
Italy will not be pushovers on current form. They have won their last three matches — two warm-up fixtures against Canada and the UAE before beating Ireland in their build-up series, a victory that marked their first-ever win over an ICC Full Member.
They had also stunned Scotland by 12 runs in the European qualifiers, a result that ultimately proved decisive in sealing their World Cup qualification.
Scotland, though, remain wary of the threat.
“Yeah, obviously, I think that was a disappointing defeat. Like I said, we did have a bit of a hiccup during that tournament. But we’re looking to just work on ourselves and what we can do better,” said pacer Safyaan Sharif.
Having made a late entry into the tournament, Scotland showed flashes of promise but their batting faltered in a 35-run defeat in their opening match at the venue on Saturday.
“Look, one team’s going to lose anyway. Unfortunately, it was us. But the way we showed our character today when it was the first half and the second half, I think, it’s just exciting things to come yet,” he added.
Teams (from)
Scotland: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt and Brad Wheal.
Italy: Wayne Madsen (captain), Marcus Campopiano, Gian Piero Meade, Zain Ali, Ali Hasan, Crishan Jorge, Harry Manenti, Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, Syed Naqvi, Ben Manenti, Jaspreet Singh, JJ Smuts, Grant Stewart and Thomas Draca.
English (US) ·