New Delhi, August 5: The Ireland and Afghanistan cricket teams are currently engaged in a five-match ODI series, hosted by Ireland. Unfortunately, the first match scheduled for Wednesday was canceled due to rain, leaving Ireland disappointed. As a result, Ireland will not secure a direct entry into the 2027 ODI World Cup. Instead, they must compete in the qualifiers to earn their spot.
Ireland’s men’s ODI team ranks 11th globally. To qualify directly for the World Cup, they needed to win the ODI series against Afghanistan with a clean 5-0 sweep. Additionally, the West Indies were required to lose two ODIs against India before September. Had these conditions been met, Ireland could have surpassed Zimbabwe, the West Indies, and Bangladesh in the rankings for a direct World Cup berth.
With the cancellation of the first match, Ireland will now participate in a 10-team qualifier for the World Cup. The winner of this qualifier will gain direct entry into the main group of the World Cup. The teams finishing second, third, and fourth in the qualifiers will compete in the first round of the World Cup, known as the Super Series, where the top team will qualify for the main 12-team stage.
The 10-team qualifier will include the two lowest-ranked full members (excluding hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe) by September 30, 2026. It will also feature the top four teams from the CWC League 2 and the top four from the World Cup qualifier playoffs. The playoffs will include the bottom four teams from CWC League 2 along with four teams from the Challenge League. The top four teams from this eight-team playoff will advance to the World Cup qualifiers.
The Challenge League will consist of 12 teams divided into two pools of six. Each team will play a round-robin tournament, and the top two teams from each pool will progress to the World Cup qualifier playoffs.
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