By defeating Ireland in the third ODI on Monday, Afghanistan booked its place at the 2027 World Cup set to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Afghanistan’s win also means that West Indies will once again be forced to navigate the qualifiers to avoid missing the ODI World Cup for the second consecutive time.
Afghanistan joins South Africa, Zimbabwe (automatic qualification as co-hosts), India, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in the Super 12 stage in the newly revised format.
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Under the new structure, barring the host nations, the top eight teams in the rankings as of September 30, 2026 directly qualify for the Super 12s.
Namibia, which is co-hosting the tournament along with South Africa and Zimbabwe, is an associate member of the ICC and will hence have to go through the qualifying stages to reach the quadrennial event.
Afghanistan is currently eighth in the ODI team rankings and will remain in that position until the cut-off date.
For Ireland the path is far from straightforward. The Paul Stirling-led side will head to the ten-team Qualifier tournament and needs to finish in the top four to progress to the next stage.
The Qualifier tournament will feature two bottom-ranked full members in the ODI rankings as of the above-mentioned cut-off date, the top four teams from Cricket World Cup League 2, and the top four teams from a World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
The winner of the Qualifier tournament will advance to the Super 12s, while the second, third, and fourth-placed teams will lock horns in the first round of the World Cup called the Super Series.
The winner of the Super Series will secure the final spot in the main draw.
Published on Aug 10, 2026
