Afghanistan Secure Direct Spot at 2027 World Cup as West Indies Face Qualifiers

2027 World Cup qualification has been secured by Afghanistan after their victory over Ireland in Belfast on Monday, confirming their place among the teams that will qualify directly for the 50-over tournament.

Afghanistan’s win guarantees they will finish inside the top eight of the ODI rankings at the September 30 cut-off. The direct qualification places are reserved for the top eight teams, excluding co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe.

As a result, Afghanistan will join Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh in securing direct entry to the 2027 World Cup.

Meanwhile, the West Indies face another qualifying campaign. The two-time champions currently sit 10th in the ODI rankings and cannot climb high enough to secure a direct berth. They still have two ODIs against India before the cut-off, but those matches will not be enough to move them into the required position.

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The West Indies also missed direct qualification for the 2023 World Cup. They then failed in the qualifiers, marking the first time they had missed a men’s 50-over World Cup.

The Caribbean side had previously reached the 2019 World Cup after successfully negotiating the qualifying tournament.

Under the revised 2027 format, the qualifying tournament will offer a stronger route into the main competition. The winner will advance directly to the second stage of the World Cup.

The teams finishing second, third and fourth will instead enter the first round, known as the Super Series.

Afghanistan’s qualification marks another significant step forward for their rapidly developing one-day cricket programme. Meanwhile, the West Indies must now fight through the qualifiers to avoid another early exit from cricket’s biggest 50-over tournament.