Afghanistan seal 2027 World Cup berth, West Indies to go through qualifiers again
Afghanistan has qualified for the 2027 Cricket World Cup, while the West Indies must participate in qualifying rounds for the third consecutive time. The qualification is based on ODI rankings as of the September 30 cut-off date.
Why it matters
This reflects shifting power dynamics in international cricket and the high stakes of global tournament qualification.
Afghanistan secured automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup with a win over Ireland on Monday, leaving twice champions West Indies to go through qualifiers for the third successive edition of the 50-overs tournament.
The top eight teams in the one-day rankings on September 30, excluding co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, qualify directly for the event.
Afghanistan's win in Belfast ensured they will finish among those teams, joining Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh.
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.
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