Which teams have qualified for 2027 ODI World Cup?
The edifice of ODI World Cup is slowly taking shape with teams getting finalised for the 50-over showpiece event which will take place next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The 50-over format is drifting away from the conscience of fans and the world cricket body is aware of the challenges that await.
Maybe that is the reason why the International Cricket Council changed the format of the World Cup. For the 2027 edition, 14 teams will take part in the tournament which has been split into multiple stages; the 2023 World Cup had a simple format where 10 teams played each other in a group phase and the top four sides at the end of it qualified for the semi-finals.
In 2027, the three lowest ranked teams will play in a round-robin stage. The winners will progress to the next round. The remaining 12 teams will be split into two groups of six, where they will play each other. This is effectively the main ODI World Cup, involving 12 teams.
How many teams have qualified for the 2027 World Cup?
Afghanistan became the latest team to qualify directly to the 2027 ODI World Cup. Afghanistan secured automatic qualification following their win over Ireland in the third ODI of their series on Monday.
According to ICC’s rules, the top eight teams in ODI rankings on September 30, apart from co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, qualify directly for the event.
Afghanistan have now joined Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh in qualifying directly for the World.
Former champions West Indies will now have to go through qualifiers to make it to the World Cup. The West Indies are ranked 10th and cannot make up enough ground to qualify directly despite having two ODIs against India left to play before the cut-off date.
The Caribbean side failed to seal an automatic spot at the 2023 edition and lost in the qualifiers, resulting in their absence from a men’s 50-overs World Cup for the first time. They successfully negotiated the qualifiers to play at the 2019 edition.
Associates unhappy
Cricket Scotland and the Dutch Cricket Association have criticised the world body for changing the format of the 2027 World Cup less than 18 months before the tournament.
The new tournament rules effectively reduce the main tournament to 12 teams. Teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th in the qualification process will contest a tri-series, with only one progressing to the main round.
The two Associate nations boards said the lack of communication was “disappointing and disrespectful”.
“These changes represent a setback to Associate Member cricket and risk undermining the progress made in recent years to grow the global game,” they said in a joint statement.
“At a time when cricket is seeking to expand its reach, attract new audiences and strengthen its position on the international sporting landscape, reducing meaningful opportunities for emerging nations sends entirely the wrong message.”
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