In the 13th match of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, they failed to chase down the target of 24 runs against Afghanistan and South Africa and did not win in the second super over. The loss to South Africa in Ahmedabad was Afghanistan’s second in a row. Earlier, Afghanistan lost to New Zealand by 5 wickets in their first Group-D match in Chennai.

Afghanistan are third in the points table after losing two Group-D matches so far in this World Cup. There is no chance for them to finish in the top two and go to the Super-8. Afghanistan need to beat UAE (February 16) and Canada (February 19) by big margins in their remaining two Group-D matches to secure a top-2 spot. After defeating UAE and Canada, they will have to hope that either New Zealand or South Africa lose their remaining two Group-D matches.

In this case, Afghanistan will collect four points from four matches, and either South Africa or New Zealand will also have four points. The second best team in Group-D will then be decided on the basis of better Net Run Rate (NRR), and this is where Afghanistan will have a chance.

If the Group-D match between New Zealand and South Africa in Ahmedabad on February 14 is called off due to rain, Afghanistan will be eliminated from the tournament. Because if the match is canceled on February 14, New Zealand and South Africa will both add one point, and their total points will be 5-5, which is impossible for Afghanistan.