Dubai, November 6: The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff will be played in Nepal from 4 to 21 December, with eight teams competing for the last four places in the Global Qualifier for the 2027 World Cup.
Hosts Nepal open against Italy at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground on 4 December, while Namibia meet Uganda at the same time at the Mulpani Cricket Ground. Canada, Kuwait, Jersey and the United Arab Emirates complete the field.
How the path to the 2027 World Cup works
The top four from the round-robin Playoff join a 10-team Global Qualifier. Ireland and the West Indies are already there as the two highest-ranked sides outside the eight automatic qualifiers, excluding Full Member hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe. The USA, Scotland, the Netherlands and Oman qualified directly from Cricket World Cup League 2.
The winner of the Global Qualifier goes straight into the group stage of the World Cup. The teams finishing second, third and fourth move into the newly created Super Series.
The 2027 World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia from 2 October to 21 November, with 14 teams playing 57 matches across 12 venues.
ICC: Associate cricket ‘vital’ to the game
“The Qualifier Play-off is a crucial stage in the pathway to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, and I am sure all eight teams will be eager to seize this opportunity and secure a place in the next stage,” said Gaurav Saxena, ICC General Manager – Events and Operations.
“Associate cricket is vital to the continued growth and global development of our sport. Competitions such as this provide teams with valuable opportunities to showcase their talent, gain experience and raise their standards,” he added.
Full schedule
| Date | Tribhuvan University | Upper Mulpani |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, 4 Dec | Nepal vs Italy | Namibia vs Uganda |
| Sat, 5 Dec | UAE vs Jersey | Kuwait vs Canada |
| Sun, 6 Dec | Nepal vs Uganda | Italy vs Namibia |
| Mon, 7 Dec | Kuwait vs Jersey | Canada vs UAE |
| Wed, 9 Dec | Canada vs Italy | Jersey vs Uganda |
| Thu, 10 Dec | Nepal vs UAE | Kuwait vs Namibia |
| Sat, 12 Dec | Nepal vs Jersey | Namibia vs Canada |
| Sun, 13 Dec | Uganda vs Kuwait | UAE vs Italy |
| Mon, 14 Dec | Nepal vs Canada | Jersey vs Namibia |
| Tue, 15 Dec | Uganda vs Italy | UAE vs Kuwait |
| Thu, 17 Dec | Italy vs Kuwait | Jersey vs Canada |
| Fri, 18 Dec | Nepal vs Namibia | Uganda vs UAE |
| Sun, 20 Dec | Namibia vs UAE | Italy vs Jersey |
| Mon, 21 Dec | Nepal vs Kuwait | Canada vs Uganda |
No matches are scheduled on 8, 11, 16 and 19 December.
Read how Oman sealed their Global Qualifier place on net run rate, and follow more international cricket news on Indian Sports News.
