Ireland to play Qualifier for 2027 ODI World Cup

Ireland will now have to participate in the Qualifying tournament in order to qualify for the Africa 2027 ODI World Cup. The first ODI against Afghanistan ended in a washout. The game, in Bready, was rained out without a toss. Ireland, which is 12th in the rankings for men's one-day internationals, needed to beat Afghanistan 5-0 and West Indies lose their two one-day internationals against India before the deadline on September 30 to move above Zimbabwe, West Indies, and Afghanistan in the rankings and get into the World Cup directly. Now, Ireland will participate in the 10-team Qualifier, whose winner will directly advance to the World Cup's main group. The teams finishing second, third and fourth in the Qualifier will contest the first round of the World Cup, called the Super Series, with the top team qualifying for the main, 12-team stage. The 10-team Qualifier includes the two bottom-ranked Full Members in the ODI rankings (other than hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe) as of September 30, 2026; the top four teams from CWC League 2; and the top four teams from a World Cup Qualifier Playoff. This Playoff will be contested by the bottom four teams from CWC League 2 along with four teams from the Challenge League (essentially cricket's third division). The format is yet to be decided but the top four from this eight-team Playoff will advance to the World Cup Qualifier. The Challenge League will feature 12 teams divided into two pools of six and each will play three round-robin tournaments over the cycle. The top two teams from each pool will move on to the World Cup Qualifier Playoff. In the Super Six stage of the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifier, Ireland was eliminated, resulting in their failure to advance.