# Cricket World Cup qualification

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Preselection of teams

Cricket tournament

ICC Men's Cricket World Cup qualification Administrator International Cricket Council Format One Day International First edition 1979 Number of teams 36 (currently eligible) 110 (overall) 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification

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**Cricket World Cup qualification** is the process national cricket teams go through to qualify for the [Cricket World Cup](/source/Cricket_World_Cup). The Cricket World Cup is a global event, and qualification is used to reduce the large field of participants from about 100 to 10–14. The qualification process has started as early as almost 7 years before the World Cup.

## History

From the first World Cup in 1975 up to the 2019 World Cup, the majority of teams taking part qualified automatically. Until the 2015 World Cup this was mostly through having [Full Membership of the ICC](/source/List_of_International_Cricket_Council_members#Full_Members), and for the 2019 World Cup this was mostly through ranking position in the [ICC ODI Championship](/source/ICC_ODI_Championship).

Since the second World Cup in 1979 up to the 2019 World Cup, the teams that qualified automatically have been joined by a small number of others who qualified for the World Cup through the qualification process. The number of teams qualifying for the World Cup changed from event to event. The first qualifying tournament being the [ICC Trophy](/source/ICC_Trophy);[1] later the process expanding with pre-qualifying tournaments. Pre-qualifying tournaments were held within the five [ICC](/source/International_Cricket_Council) regional bodies ([Africa](/source/African_Cricket_Association), [Americas](/source/ICC_Americas), [Asia](/source/Asian_Cricket_Council), [East Asia-Pacific](/source/ICC_East_Asia-Pacific), [Europe](/source/European_Cricket_Council)), and organized by their respective councils.

For the 2011 World Cup onwards, the past pre-qualifying processes were replaced by the [World Cricket League](/source/World_Cricket_League), administered by the ICC; and the ICC Trophy became known as the [ICC World Cup Qualifier](/source/ICC_World_Cup_Qualifier),[2] and this remained the culmination of the qualification process and became the final stage of the World Cricket League competition. The World Cricket League was a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status. All [Associate members](/source/List_of_International_Cricket_Council_members#Associate_Members) of the ICC were able to qualify for the World Cup.

While 12 teams participated in the [2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier](/source/2009_ICC_World_Cup_Qualifier) and the top 4 teams qualified for the [2011 Cricket World Cup](/source/2011_Cricket_World_Cup), at the ICC Chief Executives' Committee meeting in September 2011, the ICC decided on a new qualifying format for the [2015 Cricket World Cup](/source/2015_Cricket_World_Cup). Two teams from the top tier of the pre-qualifying tournament, the [2011–13 ICC World Cricket League Championship](/source/2011%E2%80%9313_ICC_World_Cricket_League_Championship), qualified directly and did not compete in the [2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier](/source/2014_Cricket_World_Cup_Qualifier), which decided the remaining two places.[3][4]

For the 2019 World Cup, the host and the seven highest-ranked sides on the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Team Rankings as on 30 September 2017 qualified directly for the event proper. The four bottom-ranked sides were joined by six teams from the ICC World Cricket League in the 10-team ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018, and the top two sides completed the 10-team World Cup line-up.

For the 2023 World Cup, only the host nation qualified automatically. 32 teams were divided into three leagues—[Super League](/source/ICC_Cricket_World_Cup_Super_League), [League 2](/source/ICC_Cricket_World_Cup_League_2) and [Challenge League](/source/ICC_Cricket_World_Cup_Challenge_League)—each with different paths to World Cup qualification. The leagues and supplementary qualifier and play-off tournaments also determined [promotion and relegation](/source/Promotion_and_relegation) between the leagues from one World Cup cycle to the next.[5] The fourth World Cricket League competition was used for the initial placement of teams into the leagues for the 2023 World Cup qualifying, and has now been abolished.

### Qualification berths

1975 [a] 1979 1983 1987 1992 1996 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 2027 2031 Total berths 8 8 8 8 9 12 12 14 16 14 14 10 10 14 Entered qualification[b] —N/a 15 16 16 17 20 22 24 64[c] 32 36 Played in qualification[d] 15 16 16 17 20 22 24 64[c] 32 36 Qualified via qualification 2 1 1 1 3 3 4 6 4 4 2 9 4 Qualified without playing 8 6 7 7 8 9 9 10 10 10 10 8 1[e] 10

**Notes**

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Berths were given by invitation only.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-entered_7-0)** Includes all teams that entered qualification, even if they withdrew or were excluded afterwards or qualified by walkover. Does not include pre-determined automatic qualifiers.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-2007)_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-2007)_8-1) 2 teams were participated in qualification, and were not eligible to enter the final competition, as they were not a member of ICC.(South Africa Country Districts, ECB England XI)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-played_9-0)** Only includes teams that played at least one qualifying match that was not annulled.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** India were qualified as host, but they also participated in qualification.

### First appearance in qualification by team

Only teams that played at least one match are considered for first appearance. Teams that withdrew before the qualification, or that qualified to the World Cup by [walkover](/source/Walkover) due to other teams' withdrawals, are not considered.

Year Debuting teams Successor and renamed teams Asia Africa Americas East-Asia Pacific Europe T CT 1975 No qualification was held all the teams were invitees. 1979 Bangladesh Malaysia Singapore Sri Lanka[a] [[File:|23x15px|border |alt=|link=]] East Africa[a][A] Argentina Bermuda Canada United States Fiji Papua New Guinea Denmark Israel Netherlands Wales[B] 15 15 1983 Hong Kong Kenya West Africa[N 1] Zimbabwe none none Gibraltar 5 20 1987 none none none none none 0 20 1992 none none none none none 0 20 [[File:|23x15px|border |alt=|link=]] East and Central Africa[A][N 1] 1996 United Arab Emirates Namibia none none Ireland 3 23 1999 none none none none Italy Scotland 2 25 2003 Nepal Uganda none none France Germany 4 29 2007 Afghanistan Bahrain Bhutan Iran Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Thailand Botswana Gambia Ghana Mozambique Nigeria Rwanda Sierra Leone Tanzania Zambia Bahamas Belgium Cayman Islands Panama Suriname Turks and Caicos Islands Indonesia Japan Tonga Austria Belgium Croatia Finland Greece Luxembourg Malta Norway Portugal Spain 31 60 2011 none none none Vanuatu Jersey 2 62 2015 Brunei China Maldives Myanmar Lesotho Malawi Swaziland Brazil Belize Chile Costa Rica Falkland Islands Mexico Peru Cook Islands Samoa Vanuatu Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia Guernsey Isle of Man Slovenia Turkey 25 87 2019 none none West Indies[b] none none 1 88 2023 India[c] Pakistan[c] South Africa[d] none Australia[c] New Zealand[c] England[b][B] 6 94 2027 none none none none none 0 94

**Teams' entries before their actual debuts in qualification**

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-1975i_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-1975i_11-1) Participated in the 1975 World Cup by invitation.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-1975-2015if_15-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-1975-2015if_15-1) Participated in the 1975 World Cup by invitation, 1979 to 2015 World Cups as Full member.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-1975-2019ifr_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-1975-2019ifr_16-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-1975-2019ifr_16-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-1975-2019ifr_16-3) Participated in the 1975 World Cup by invitation, 1979 to 2015 World Cups as Full member, 2019 via top 7 ranked team.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1992-2015f_17-0)** Participated in the 1992 to 2015 World Cups as Full member.

**Successor and renamed teams**

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-E&CA_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-E&CA_12-1) [East Africa](/source/East_Africa_cricket_team) was renamed as [East and Central Africa](/source/East_and_Central_Africa_cricket_team).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Wales_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Wales_13-1) Wales currently competes with England under the name of [England](/source/England_national_cricket_team).

**Other notes**

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-defunct_14-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-defunct_14-1) Team now defunct.

## Team performances

The teams that qualified automatically each time, and the performances of the other teams in the final qualifying tournament, are as follows.

World Cup: 1975 WC 1979 WC 1983 WC 1987 WC 1992 WC 1996 WC 1999 WC 2003 WC 2007 WC 2011 WC 2015 WC 2019 WC 2023 WC 2027 WC Qualifying Tournament: None 1979 ICC Trophy 1982 ICC Trophy 1986 ICC Trophy 1990 ICC Trophy 1994 ICC Trophy 1997 ICC Trophy 2001 ICC Trophy 2005 ICC Trophy 2009 WC Qual 2011 WCL C'ship 2014 WC Qual 2018 WC Qual 2023 WC Qual 2027 WC Qual Pre-qualifying: 2007 Qual 2007–09 WCL 2009–14 WCL 2012–18 WCL 2017–19 WCL Africa Kenya R1 R1 SF 2nd 2nd Auto (O) Auto (O) 4th 6th 5th =27th Namibia R1 15th 2nd 7th 8th 7th 6th 19th South Africa Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) 8th Auto (H) Uganda 12th 10th 10th =23rd Zimbabwe 1st 1st 1st Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) 3rd 12th Auto (H) Americas Argentina R1 R1 R1 R1 21st R1 Bermuda SF 2nd 4th R1 4th 9th R1 4th 9th =31st Canada 2nd R1 R1 R2 R2 7th 3rd 3rd 2nd 8th 8th 20th United States R1 R1 R1 R2 R1 12th 7th 10th 18th West Indies Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) 2nd 13th Asia Afghanistan 5th 2nd 1st 7th Bangladesh R1 4th R1 SF R2 1st Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) 3rd Hong Kong R1 R1 R1 R2 8th R1 3rd 10th =25th India Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) Auto (H) Malaysia R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 16th R1 =29th Nepal R1 9th 8th 16th Oman 9th 11th 14th Pakistan Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) 5th Qatar =25th Singapore R1 R1 R1 19th 14th R1 =27th Sri Lanka Auto (I) 1st Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) 9th United Arab Emirates 1st 10th 5th 6th 7th 3rd 2nd 6th 17th East Asia-Pacific Australia Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) 6th Fiji R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 11th R1 New Zealand Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (R) 1st Papua New Guinea R1 3rd R1 R2 R1 13th R1 11th 4th 9th 22nd Vanuatu =31st Europe Denmark SF 3rd R2 R1 5th 6th 8th 12th =23rd England Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (F) Auto (H) 2nd France R1 Germany R1 Gibraltar R1 R1 R1 20th =19th R1 Ireland R2 4th 8th 2nd 1st 1st 5th 15th Israel R1 R1 R1 R1 R1 22nd R1 Italy =19th R1 =29th Jersey 21st Netherlands R1 R1 2nd 2nd 3rd 6th 1st 5th 3rd 4th 7th 7th 10th Scotland 3rd 4th 1st 6th 5th 1st 4th 11th Defunct teams [[File:|23x15px|border |alt=|link=]] East Africa Auto (I) R1 R1 R1 [[File:|23x15px|border |alt=|link=]] East and Central Africa R1 18th 17th R1 Wales R1 West Africa R1 17th 18th R1

**Key:**

Auto (F) Team qualified for Cricket World Cup automatically through having Full Membership of the ICC Auto (H) Team qualified for Cricket World Cup automatically as Host Auto (I) Team qualified for Cricket World Cup automatically by Invitation Auto (O) Team qualified for Cricket World Cup automatically through having ODI Status Auto (R) Team qualified for Cricket World Cup automatically by Ranking position in the ICC ODI Championship Team qualified for Cricket World Cup through the Qualifying Tournament R1/R2 Team reached First Round/Second Round in the Qualifying Tournament SF Team reached Semi-Final in the Qualifying Tournament (no third-place play-off) 1st/2nd/etc Team finished 1st/2nd/etc in the Qualifying Tournament Team failed to reach final Qualifying Tournament

## See also

- [World Cricket League](/source/World_Cricket_League)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Cricinfo – 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland](http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/ICCT2005/ARTICLES/history.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-World_Cricket_League_2-0)** [World Cricket League](http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/development/wcl/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20070119011351/http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/development/wcl/) January 19, 2007, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) *World Cricket League Overview*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Results of the ICC Chief Executives' Committee meeting in London"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110929011425/http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=17042_1315836720). 12 September 2011. Archived from [the original](http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=17042_1315836720) on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["ICC spells out 2015 WC qualification plan"](http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/current/story/535977.html). *ESPNcricinfo*. ESPN Sports Media. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["ICC launches the road to India 2023"](https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/1310135). *International Cricket Council*. Retrieved 12 August 2019.

v t e Cricket World Cup International Cricket Council Tournaments England 1975 England 1979 England / Wales 1983 India / Pakistan 1987 Australia / New Zealand 1992 Pakistan / India / Sri Lanka 1996 England / Scotland / Wales / Ireland / Netherlands 1999 South Africa / Zimbabwe / Kenya 2003 West Indies 2007 India / Sri Lanka / Bangladesh 2011 Australia / New Zealand 2015 England / Wales 2019 India 2023 South Africa / Zimbabwe / Namibia 2027 Finals 1975 1979 1983 1987 1992 1996 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Squads 1975 1979 1983 1987 1992 1996 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Qualification 1975 1979 1983 1987 1992 1996 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 2027 Awards Format History Records Centuries Five-wicket hauls Teams Trophy

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cricket World Cup qualification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_World_Cup_qualification) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_World_Cup_qualification?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.