Afghanistan secured automatic qualification for the 2027 Cricket World Cup with a victory over Ireland on Monday, leaving twice champions West Indies to navigate the qualifiers for the third successive edition of the 50-overs tournament.
The top eight teams in the one-day international rankings as of Sept. 30, excluding co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, will qualify directly for the tournament.
Afghanistan’s win in Belfast ensured they will finish among those eight, joining Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh.
West Indies, ranked 10th, cannot climb high enough to secure an automatic berth despite having two ODIs against India before the cut-off date.
The Caribbean side missed out on direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup and subsequently lost in the qualifiers, resulting in their absence from the men’s 50-overs showpiece for the first time.
They had successfully come through the qualifiers to feature at the 2019 tournament.
Under the new qualification format for 2027, the winner of the qualifier will advance directly to the second stage of the World Cup, while the teams finishing second, third and fourth will enter the first round, known as the Super Series.
The 2027 World Cup will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, with the full schedule yet to be announced.
