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ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier to Be Held in South Africa and Namibia

Written by space4knews on . Posted in Sports.

October 2, Kathmandu – The ICC Men’s One Day International (ODI) World Cup 2027 final qualifier, featuring 10 teams, will be jointly hosted by South Africa and Namibia. The qualifier tournament is scheduled to take place from February 26 to March 21, 2027.

For the main World Cup event, eight top teams in the ICC ODI rankings have already qualified automatically. These teams include South Africa and Zimbabwe, along with India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

The remaining four spots will be contested by 10 teams in the qualifier tournament. Participating teams include West Indies and Ireland, who are among the top four teams in the Cricket World Cup League 2, along with four teams progressing from the World Cup Qualifier Playoff. Currently, the top four teams in League 2 are Scotland, the United States, the Netherlands, and Oman, while Namibia, Canada, Nepal, and UAE occupy the bottom four positions. Several League 2 series are yet to be completed.

In addition to the bottom four League 2 teams, the top four teams from the Challenge League—Italy, Uganda, Jersey, and Kuwait—will also earn spots in the World Cup qualifier. The Qualifier Playoff is set to be held from December 1 to 22, though the host venue has not yet been finalized.

The winner of the qualifier will secure direct entry into the main group stage of the World Cup. The remaining three teams will compete in a three-match Super Series in Namibia, with the series winner also gaining entry to the World Cup’s main group phase.

Namibia has the potential to bypass the need to play in the playoff if they win two matches each against the United States and UAE starting October 3, and also benefit from favorable results among Oman, Nepal, and Canada matches. Initially, the ICC had planned the qualifier from February 22 to March 23; however, during an ICC meeting held last week in Dubai, the dates were adjusted to February 26 through March 21, 2027.

—With assistance from Cricinfo