The 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier will take place in February and March, with ten teams competing for the final four World Cup spots. A preceding play-off event in Nepal will determine the final four participating teams.
ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 Qualifier Schedule and Format Announced
The much-awaited ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 Qualifier will be held in February and March 2027. Ten teams will face off in the Qualifier for the final four spots in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. Six sides have already booked their place in the Qualifier, including two-time Men’s Cricket World Cup winners West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland and the USA. Four other teams will qualify via the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff, to be held in Nepal next month, according to a media release from the ICC.
The ten teams in the Qualifier will be divided into two groups of five. The round-robin group stage will be followed by a semi-final and a final, with the top four teams qualifying for the World Cup. The winner of the Qualifier progresses directly to the World Cup Group Stage, whereas the three remaining teams will compete in the Super Series to determine the final Group Stage spot. In total, the Qualifier will have 23 games.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff, to determine four sides making it to the Qualifier, is set to take place in Nepal from 4-21 December. The eight teams which are part of the Playoff are Nepal, Italy, Namibia, Uganda, Kuwait, Canada, Jersey and the United Arab Emirates. The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027 is a 14-team event, with Full Member hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe getting automatic qualification. A further eight teams earned a spot at the World Cup through the ICC Men's ODI Rankings at the cut-off date on 30 September 2026: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The final four teams at the Cricket World Cup will be decided through the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, and the Qualifier Play-off that precedes it.
