Now Reading: Afghanistan beats Ireland, seals 2027 World Cup spot
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Afghanistan beats Ireland, seals 2027 World Cup spot
Afghanistan became the latest team to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup, defeating Ireland by three wickets in the third ODI on Monday. The tournament will be co-hosted by South Africa,…
The Story in Brief
Afghanistan became the latest team to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup, defeating Ireland by three wickets in the third ODI on Monday. The tournament will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.Afghanistan joins India, Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in the Super 12 stage. The top eight teams in the ODI rankings as of September 30, 2026, plus the two co-hosts, qualify directly. The defeat forces the West Indies into the ten-team Qualifier, while Ireland must finish in the top four of that event to advance.
The Indian Opinion
West Indies once again faces the qualifier grind after Afghanistan's rise. Every cycle, we hear 'global expansion of cricket', but the same few teams hoard direct slots via rankings frozen years ahead. Ireland, too, must navigate a ten-team scramble. The real test: will the new 'Super Series' format actually widen the pool, or just give existing powers another safety net?
Sources (2): sportstar.thehindu.com, sportstar.thehindu.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
