T20 World Cup 2026: Michael Clarke predicts four semi-finalists, leaves out former champions

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has predicted his semifinalists for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, notably leaving out former champions England from his top four. Clarke included New Zealand among his semifinal picks and went a step further by backing defending champions India to reach the final.

He also believes Australia have a strong chance of making the final if they qualify for the top four. South Africa completes Clarke’s list of semifinalists, alongside India, Australia, and New Zealand.

"India are favorites, I'm putting them in the final. And I think if Australia can make the top four, we handle pressure well. So if we make the top four, we can qualify for the final. So my top four are India, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand," Clarke said on the 'Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.’

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Clarke added that there would be added pressure on India as they are playing the T20 World Cup at home while being the defending champions. However, he also felt that familiar conditions give them a significant advantage and believes the Men in Blue are possibly the best T20I team in the world at the moment.

"I don't think in the T20 World Cup, anyone's won back-to-back. So this being in India, and there's always that talk leading upto the World Cups, how much extra pressure is on the team playing in their home advantage in their home ground, and this World Cup is no different. I reckon there is a slight advantage for India, and they are favorites. They are probably the best T20 team in the world currently. They are the number one-ranked and should be favorites,” said Clarke.

While he reckoned India are the outright favourites, Clarke also stated that there are other teams capable of winning the tournament, and it would not surprise him if one of them went all the way. All four of Clarke’s predicted semifinalists have started with victories, with the exception of Australia, who are yet to play their opening match.

"There are five or six teams that if they won this World Cup, I would not be surprised. Yes, India are the favorites, but they key for a lot of these teams is to qualify, make the Super eights, make the top four," said Clarke.