Just ahead of the inaugural CWC League 2 tri-series of the cycle, the ICC has revealed additional details regarding changes to the qualification pathway for the 2027 ODI World Cup, set to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Apart from South Africa and Zimbabwe, who qualify automatically as Full Member hosts, a total of 34 additional teams will vie for spots in the 14-team tournament.
As anticipated, the abolition of the CWC Super League results in the Netherlands being relegated back to Associate competition, with only ICC Full Members eligible for direct qualification based on the ODI ranking table.
The top eight ranked full members on the ODI table, alongside Zimbabwe and South Africa, will secure direct qualification, while the two lowest-ranked will join the top Associates at the CWC Qualifier.
With the expansion of the World Cup from 10 to 14 teams, the Qualifier will now offer four berths instead of two.
At the foundation of the qualification ladder, the inaugural CWC Challenge Playoff, commencing in Kuala Lumpur next week, will afford four new teams the opportunity to earn a place in the CWC Challenge League.
This eight-team tournament will feature Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Tanzania (qualified via T20 rankings) competing against the four lowest-finishing sides from the previous edition of the Challenge League: Italy, Malaysia, Vanuatu, and Bermuda.
The Challenge League itself will remain largely unchanged, consisting of two parallel six-team competitions, each contesting three round-robin tournaments throughout the cycle.
Notable changes include the top two teams from each group advancing to the 2026 CWC Qualifier Playoff, expanding the playoff from six to eight teams, with the top four Challenge League sides facing the bottom four from CWC League 2.
The format of CWC League 2 remains similar, featuring successive six-match trilateral series with each team playing opponents at home, away, and on neutral turf.
With the Netherlands relegated and Namibia, despite co-hosting the World Cup, going through qualifying, the second-tier ODI League is now an eight-team competition.
Consequently, it is no longer a perfect triple round-robin.
The top four finishers in League 2 will progress directly to the World Cup Qualifier, securing ODI status for the next cycle, while the bottom four drop down to the Qualifier Playoff, with the risk of relegation to the Challenge League and loss of ODI status.
The first League 2 trilateral series kicks off in Kathmandu tomorrow, with Nepal hosting Namibia in the opening match, followed by a clash against the Netherlands two days later.
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