The ICC recently unveiled significant updates to the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup set to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. With South Africa and Zimbabwe granted automatic qualification as Full Member hosts, an additional 34 teams will partake in the qualifying rounds for the 14-team tournament. Notably, the removal of the CWC Super League relegates the Netherlands back to Associate competition. Only ICC Full Members can now directly qualify based on the ODI ranking table, with the top eight securing spots alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe, while the bottom two will join top Associates in the CWC Qualifier.
Expanding the World Cup to 14 teams means four berths are available at the Qualifier, up from two. At the base of the qualification ladder, the inaugural CWC Challenge Playoff will provide four new teams a chance to enter the CWC Challenge League. This eight-team tournament will feature sides from Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania against the four lowest-finishing teams from the previous Challenge League edition. They’ll vie for promotion or retention in the third-tier List A competition.
The Challenge League, featuring two parallel six-team competitions, remains mostly unchanged. However, a notable alteration is that the top two teams from each group, not just the champions, will advance to the 2026 CWC Qualifier Playoff, expanding the tournament from six to eight teams.
Uncertainty looms over the fate of the League 2 sides at the Qualifier Playoff. In the previous edition, only the bottom two were at risk of relegation, with only Papua New Guinea demoted. With extra Challenge League sides in the mix, up to four could earn promotion to League 2, potentially claiming ODI status.
CWC League 2 maintains a similar format, featuring successive six-match trilateral series. However, with the Netherlands relegated and Namibia in the qualification mix, the second-tier ODI League now comprises eight teams. Each team will face four opponents six times and three opponents four times, altering the schedule slightly.
The top four finishers in League 2 will progress directly to the World Cup Qualifier, securing ODI status for the next cycle. Meanwhile, the bottom four drop to the Qualifier Playoff, with the risk of relegation to the Challenge League and loss of ODI status.
The League 2 action kicks off in Kathmandu, with Nepal hosting Namibia in the opener, followed by a clash with the Netherlands two days later. These developments promise an exciting journey towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, with teams battling for their place on the global stage.