The tournament, due to conclude on February 24, forms half of the final stage of the qualification process for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Australia later this year.

Test-playing nation Ireland will face a good fight from in-form UAE, Oman and Nepal, while it will be interesting to see if the likes of Germany or Canada can spring a surprise.

Oman, who qualified for this tournament after being eliminated in the first round of the T20 World Cup in 2021, are pitted against Nepal, Canada and the Philippines in Group A, and will hope to make the most of home conditions.

"We are happy with our preparations and the win against the in-form UAE team in the concluding game of the quadrangular T20 series was a big motivation for us," said Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood.

"We have made it to two successive T20 World Cups, and I am hopeful that we can make it a hat-trick," added the ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year for 2021.

In Group B, favourites Ireland will be up against the UAE, Germany and Bahrain. T

his will mark the first time Germany and the Philippines will play at a global qualifier.

Ahead of the qualifier, Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie said that his team deservs to play the World Cup but will not take Qualifier A for granted.

"But we know that when we play well, we can beat any team," Balbirnie said.

"The short and sharp format of the game leaves less scope for complacency.

"There are not many occasions when we get the favourite tag.

"So, I am happy to have it.

"Usually, it has been the other way round when we, as underdogs, have upset some of the top teams."

Two teams will progress from each round-robin group, and the winners of the semi-finals qualify for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Hosts Oman take on Nepal in the opener on February 18.

Qualifier B, set to be held in Harare in Zimbabwe from July 11 to 17, will feature Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Jersey, The Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Uganda and the United States.