Afghanistan secure direct qualification for 2027 ICC ODI World Cup
What's the story
Afghanistan secured their place in the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup, thanks to a thrilling win over Ireland in the 3rd ODI on Monday. The match swung back and forth before Afghanistan emerged victorious by three wickets with 31 balls remaining. The victory was largely due to the stellar performance of their star all-rounder Rashid Khan, who picked up three wickets for 44 runs and scored an unbeaten 37 runs.
Match details
A thrilling match with outstanding individual performances
The match was a rollercoaster ride, with Ireland putting up a strong fight.
From a comfortable position at 97 for 2, they were brought down by Gavin Hoey's brilliant leg-spin bowling.
He took four wickets for 34 runs in the middle overs, including that of opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz who scored a solid 71 runs.
Despite this setback, Afghanistan managed to stay in the game thanks to Rashid and mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar's impressive bowling spells earlier in the afternoon.
Do you know?
Qualified teams for ODI World Cup 2027
Qualifed sides for the 2027 ODI World Cup: South Africa (co-host), Zimbabwe (co-host), India, Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
Progress
10th side to make it through: Details
Afghanistan became the 10th team to make it through in the 12-team 2027 ODI World Cup set to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Under the new qualification system, the host nations will be joined by the eight highest-ranked teams as of September 30, 2026 for direct entry into the Super 12 stage.
The final two spots will be decided through the ten-team Qualifier and the three-team Super Series.