2027 Cricket World Cup qualification
The 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification[1] process is the edition of Cricket World Cup qualification for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. A series of cricket competitions will determine which countries will take part in the 2027 Cricket World Cup. In total, 32 countries are taking part in the qualification process, from which 14 teams will qualify for the World Cup including 2 hosts[2] and 8 Top ranked teams from ICC men's ODI team rankings.[3]
The 2 teams ranked 11th-12th are directly qualified for World Cup Qualifier while, the rest 20 teams are divided into two leagues — League 2 (8 teams) and Challenge League (12 teams). Based on the results of the leagues, teams either directly qualify for the World Cup Qualifier, eliminated from World Cup qualification, or advance to World Cup Qualifier Play-off through which they could qualify for the World Cup Qualifier. The Qualifier Play-off also determines the promotion and relegation between the leagues. Teams were allocated to the two leagues based on the results from the previous World Cup Qualification Cycle.[4]
Participating teams
In November 2021, the ICC announced that there would not be a second edition of the Super League. Only the Full members were guaranteed direct qualification, leading Netherlands to take part in the qualification process.[5] Teams were allocated to the two leagues based on the results from the previous World Cup Qualification Cycle.[4]
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Qualified | Qualified for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | — | — | 2 | 2027 Cricket World Cup[4] | |
| ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings | — | Various | 8 | TBD | |
| 2 | TBD | 2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier | |||
| 2020-2023 Super League | 30 July 2020 – 14 May 2023 | Various | 1 |  Netherlands |
2023–2027 League 2[6] |
| 2019-2023 League 2 | 14 August 2019 – 16 March 2023 | Various | 5 | ||
| 2023 Qualifier Play-off | 26 March – 5 April 2023 | Namibia | 2 | ||
| 2 | 2023–2026 Challenge League[7] | ||||
| 2019-2022 Challenge League | 16 September 2019 – 13 December 2022 | Various | 6 | ||
| 2023 Challenge Play-off | 2023 | TBA | 4 | TBD | |
| Total | 32 |
2023 Challenge Play-off
It will feature the bottom four teams from the 2019–2022 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League along with an additional four sides (who are hoping to come up from below). These four "new" countries will probably be the top four ranked in the ICC T20I Championship who did not take part in the 2023 Cricket World Cup qualification process.[8] The best four sides emerging from this "Challenge Play-off" competition will qualify for the twelve-team World Cup Challenge League field for the next cycle.[9]
In the Challenge Play-off, the bottom two teams from each of the two groups in the Challenge League will join four others from outside the 32-team qualification process. These others will represent the top four countries who meet the following entry requirements: [i] They must have a minimum of eight domestic teams playing regular cricket, including at least five 40+-over matches in each of the two previous years; [ii] They should be in the top 40 of the ICC T20I Championship rankings as of 30 September 2023.[10]
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge League
(bottom 4) |
16 September 2019 – 13 December 2022 | Various | 4 | |
| ICC T20I Championship
(top 4 meeting requirements) |
30 September 2023 | — | 4 | |
| Total | 8 |
Qualified teams
South Africa and Zimbabwe (co-hosts) along with the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings will qualify directly for 2027 Cricket World Cup, while the remaining four spots will be decided by the 2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. While Namibia will co-host the competition for the first time in their history, they will not be guaranteed a spot because they are not a full ICC member, and as a result they will have to go through the standard qualification pathway.[11]
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | — | — | 2 | |
| ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings | — | Various | 8 | |
| 2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier | — | TBD | 4 | |
| Total | 14 | |||
Eliminated teams
Teams were eliminated from World Cup qualification as follows:
| Tournament | Date | Venue | Eliminations | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Challenge League | 2023–2026 | Various | 10 | |
| Qualifier Play-off | 2026 | 2 | ||
| Qualifier | 2026 | 6 | ||
| Total | 18 |
Qualifying leagues
2023–2027 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2
| Outcome | Berths | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced to Qualifier | 4 | |
| Advanced to Qualifier Play-off | 4 | |
| Total | 8 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2 |  Namibia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 3 |  Nepal |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 4 | Netherlands |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 5 |  Oman |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 6 |  Scotland |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 7 |  United Arab Emirates |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 8 |  United States |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
2023–2026 Cricket World Cup Challenge League
| Outcome | Berths | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced to Qualifier Play-off | 2 | |
| Eliminated from CWC Qualification | 10 | |
| Total | 12 |
Qualifying tournaments
2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off
Six teams will take part in the qualifier play-off: the bottom four teams from the League 2 along with the top teams in Groups A and B of the Challenge League. The top two teams from this tournament progress to the Qualifier.
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League 2 | 2023–2027 | Various | 4 | |
| Challenge League | 2023–2026 | Various | 2 | |
| Total | 6 |
| Outcome | Berths | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced to Qualifier | 4 | |
| Eliminated from CWC Qualification | 2 | |
| Total | 6 |
2026 Cricket World Cup Qualifier
The Qualifier will feature ten teams in total: the 11th and 12th ranked teams; the top four teams from the League 2, and the top four teams from the qualifier play-off. The top four teams from this tournament will qualify for the World Cup.
| Means of qualification | Date | Venue | Berths | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings | — | Various | 2 | |
| League 2 | 2023–2027 | Various | 4 | |
| Qualifier Play-off | 2026 | 4 | ||
| Total | 10 |
| Outcome | Berths | Teams |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced to CWC | 4 | |
| Eliminated from CWC Qualification | 6 | |
| Total | 10 |
References
- "CWC League 2 and Challenge League cycle to continue for 2027 World Cup qualification | Czarsportz Global". 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "USA to stage T20 World Cup: 2024-2031 ICC Men's tournament hosts confirmed". www.t20worldcup.com. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "Cricket World Cup to revert to 14 teams from 2027". The Hindu. 2021-06-01. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- www.cricket.com https://www.cricket.com/news/icc-announces-qualification-pathway-for-2027-world-cup-1668316873192. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - "Qualification pathway for 14-team 2027 men's ODI World Cup approved". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "Qualification pathway for 14-team 2027 men's ODI World Cup approved". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "Qualification pathway for 14-team 2027 men's ODI World Cup approved". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "Explainer: With 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifying process underway, here's a breakdown of ICC's new-look league structure". Firstpost. 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "Explainer: With 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifying process underway, here's a breakdown of ICC's new-look league structure". Firstpost. 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "Explainer: With 2023 Cricket World Cup qualifying process underway, here's a breakdown of ICC's new-look league structure". Firstpost. 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- "ICC announces qualification pathway for 2027 World Cup | News". www.cricket.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
