Afghanistan has qualified for the ODI World Cup 2027. The second match of the five-match ODI series between Ireland and Afghanistan was played on August 7 at the Brady Cricket Club Ground in Northern Ireland. In this match, the Afghan team registered a victory by 92 runs. The host team was given a target of 300 runs but could only score 207 runs in 33.4 overs. In this win, Afghanistan's spinner Rashid Khan performed brilliantly, taking 6 wickets for 34 runs.
With this victory, Afghanistan has become the ninth team to qualify for the ODI World Cup 2027. India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka had already secured their spots in the ODI World Cup. Additionally, South Africa and Zimbabwe received automatic qualification as hosts.
Currently, only one spot remains for direct entry into the World Cup, for which Bangladesh and West Indies are competing. However, the West Indies team is almost out of this race. The two-time world champion team is currently ranked 10th in the ODI rankings and has only two ODI matches left before the September 30 cutoff date. Both these matches are scheduled against India in September.
If the proposed ODI series between Bangladesh and India in September does not take place, it will be impossible for the West Indies to participate in the World Cup qualifiers. The Indian team is scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20 Internationals between September 1 and 13 in Bangladesh, and under current circumstances, it seems unlikely that the Indian team will tour Bangladesh. In such a scenario, Bangladesh, ranked ninth, is also considered almost certain to enter the World Cup.
It should be noted that the ICC has made significant changes for the ODI World Cup 2027. In this 14-team tournament, teams coming from the qualifiers will not get a direct spot in the main group. The winner of the World Cup qualifiers will enter the main stage directly, while teams finishing in second, third, and fourth place will have to overcome an additional hurdle. The ICC announced this new format in July. According to this, the three teams finishing second to fourth in the qualifiers will participate in the World Cup preliminary round 'Super Series'. Only one of these teams will advance to secure a spot in the 12-team main stage.
The ODI World Cup 2027 will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. This tournament will run from October 4 to November 21 and will feature matches across a total of 12 venues. South Africa and Zimbabwe have automatic qualification due to being hosts, while the other host country, Namibia, will have to go through the qualification process.
A total of 10 teams will participate in the World Cup qualifiers. These will include the two full member teams ranked lowest in the ICC ODI rankings as of September 30, 2026, one of which is Ireland and the other will be West Indies or Bangladesh. Additionally, the top four teams from the CWC League 2 will also qualify. The remaining four spots are reserved for teams coming from the World Cup Qualifier Playoffs.
This situation is particularly worrying for the West Indies, as the team also failed to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Their defeat against the Netherlands in a Super Over in Harare was a major setback for their campaign. Now, the two-time champion team faces the threat of being excluded from the ODI World Cup for the second consecutive time.
