2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifiers Set for February-March Next Year

Kathmandu. The 2027 One Day World Cup qualifier tournament will be held from February 22 to March 23 next year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has finalized the date of the tournament, but the host venue is still uncertain. According to the new structure of the 2027 World Cup announced by the ICC in July, the winner of the qualifier tournament in which 10 teams will participate will directly qualify for the main World Cup which will include 14 teams. The teams that finish second, third, and fourth in the qualifier tournament will compete in the first stage of the World Cup called 'Super Series'. The top team of the Super Series will enter the main 12-team stage. The World Cup Cricket will be held in twelve stadiums in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from October 4 to November 11. In the qualifier tournament in which 10 teams will participate, besides host South Africa and Zimbabwe, the two lowest-ranked full member nations as of the One Day rankings on September 30, 2026, will be included. In addition, the top four teams from CWC League 2 and the top four teams from the World Cup Qualifier Playoff will also secure a place. This playoff will be played between eight teams, consisting of the bottom four teams from CWC League 2 and four teams from the third division Challenge League. The top four teams from the playoff involving eight teams, whose format is yet to be decided, will reach the World Cup qualifiers. In the Challenge League, 12 teams will be divided into two groups of six teams each, and each team will play three round-robin tournaments throughout the cycle. The top two teams from each group will advance to the World Cup Qualifier Playoff. Currently 10th-placed West Indies has only two One Day matches left against India before the September 30 deadline. The results of those matches, and especially the upcoming series between eighth-placed Afghanistan and twelfth-placed Ireland, can affect West Indies' ranking. If Ireland wins the series by defeating Afghanistan 4-1 or 5-0, West Indies can finish in the top eight by winning the two matches against India. But if Afghanistan wins the series, it will be almost certain that West Indies will have to play the qualifiers. Earlier, West Indies failed to qualify for the 2023 One Day World Cup after being defeated by the Netherlands in a Super Over in the qualifier match held in Harare in 2023.

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