Ireland, who are currently 12th in the men’s ODI rankings, needed to whitewash Afghanistan 5-0 and for West Indies to lose their two ODIs against India before the cutoff date on September 30 to leapfrog Zimbabwe, West Indies and Bangladesh in the rankings and secure direct entry into the World Cup.

Ireland will now take part in the 10-team Qualifier, the winner of which will get direct entry into the main group of the World Cup. 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.

Ireland had failed to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup, getting knocked out in the Super Six stage of the Qualifier for that edition.