The Black Caps must now wait to learn there fate in the global tournament with the result between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Saturday.
A Sri Lanka win would confirm New Zealand's journey to Kolkata to play in the first semi-final, while Pakistan need a victory by a big margin to knock the Kiwis out.
Speaking after the loss to England, Santner said: "There'll be some nerves watching tomorrow, just to see what happens. But it's out of our control, we can't really do much.
"We are just going to wait and see, and either get on a plane to India or New Zealand. We would have made things a lot easier if we won tonight.
"We had it in our control. We did a lot of good stuff throughout this game, and even in the last couple of games, but it's always those little moments at the end, or throughout our innings, where it could have been a little bit sharper, whether it's execution or in the field.
"But credit to England for setting up that chase like they did."
Will Jacks says England are relishing life under Harry Brook's captaincy after booking their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a perfect Super Eights record.
England completed an unbeaten Super 8s phase at the T20 World Cup after a thrilling four-wicket victory in the final over against New Zealand in Colombo on Friday.
New Zealand will look to secure a semi-final berth at the T20 World Cup when they face England in a crucial Super Eights clash on Friday night.
Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Farveez Maharoof admitted it was painful to watch his side crash out of the T20 World Cup after a comprehensive 61-run defeat to New Zealand.
