The International Cricket Council (ICC) today confirmed the groupings for the next cycle of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Challenge League, a 12-team competition on the road to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 that starts later this year.
Split across two groups of six teams, Challenge League A and Challenge League B will offer a better chance for teams to progress than in the previous edition, with the winners and runners-up from each group securing a place at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
The teams featuring in Challenge League A are Denmark, Jersey, Kenya, Kuwait, Papua New Guinea and Qatar.
Challenge League B will be comprised of Bahrain, Hong Kong China, Italy, Singapore, Tanzania and Uganda.
Eight teams qualified for the Challenge League on the basis of their performance in the previous edition of the qualification pathway. Four teams also secured their place by virtue of progressing from the recently concluded Challenge League Playoff held in Malaysia: Bahrain, Italy, Kuwait and Tanzania.
While the fixture schedule for the Challenge League is yet to be confirmed, three round-robin series will take place from 2024 to 2026 to determine the teams that will continue their qualification journey, meeting the bottom four teams from the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley, said: “The Challenge League represents an important stage in qualification through to the 14-team ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2027. This competition provides a competitive platform for high-performing emerging nations to stake a claim for World Cup qualification and with more teams able to progress in this upcoming cycle, teams will be hungrier than ever to make it all the way to the landmark global event.”
“I wish all the teams the best of luck as they continue their journey towards the ultimate prize in men’s ODI cricket, and I’m sure it will continue to unveil some exceptionally talented players along the way.”