West Indies face likely trip to ODI World Cup qualifiers in early 2027

NEW YORK, United States. The qualifying tournament for the 2027 One Day International (ODI) World Cup is scheduled for 22 February to 23 March next year, according to Cricinfo, although the International Cricket Council (ICC) has yet to name a host.

The West Indies, ranked 10th in the ODI rankings, are expected to have to compete in the qualifiers to secure a place at the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from 4 October to 21 November.

Slim hopes

The West Indies have only two ODIs left before the qualification cut-off, both against India in September.

Their chances of avoiding the qualifiers depend not only on those results but also on the upcoming ODI series between eighth-ranked Afghanistan and 12th-ranked Ireland.

If Ireland defeat Afghanistan 4-1 or 5-0 and the West Indies win both matches against India, the Caribbean side could move into the top eight and qualify automatically.

If Afghanistan win the series, the West Indies are almost certain to miss automatic qualification.

New format

Under the ICC’s revamped format for 2027, announced in July, the winner of the 10-team qualifier will advance directly to the 14-team main tournament.

The teams finishing second, third and fourth will go into the Super Six stage to compete for the final place in the 12-team main phase.

The qualifier will feature the two lowest-ranked full member nations in the ODI rankings as of 30 September 2026, excluding hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, joined by the top four teams from CWC League 2 and the top four from the World Cup qualifier playoff.