On October 4, the one year countdown until the next ICC Men’s ODI World Cup began, with the tournament scheduled to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. With just twelve months to go, every single ODI will carry extra weight – as teams shuffle though their options to figure out their best XIs and final squads, as retiring legends and emerging stars make their bids to rise to the occasion, and as fans fret and fantasise about their teams’ chances.

To celebrate the occasion and to help track each team’s chances, we have compiled our power rankings to show where we feel each team stacks up a year ahead of the big dance. We’ve only ranked the top ten teams, as the remaining four spots at the event will be decided through qualifying tournaments

1. South Africa

With a 2-1 win against defending champions Australia at home, the tournament hosts and our top-ranked side have kicked off this cycle in fine style. Their strong, well-rounded bowling attack is backed by a cohort of in-form batters, which is why we’ve put them at first despite the ICC’s ODI rankings having them third. But when it comes to the Proteas and World Cups, one cannot avoid mentioning the c-word. Over the last few years, however, South Africa seem to have emerged from that hoodoo. After making the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, Temba Bavuma inspired them to the World Test Championship title in 2025 to seemingly end a decades-long curse. But as the tournament comes closer and South Africa continue their current form, the rising weight of expectations may play a hand.

2. India

The ICC’s top-ranked side is pegged back one spot here, as Hardik Pandya’s injury has further confused options for their best bowling combination, given that some of their best bowlers had been at the Asian Games. Kuldeep Yadav was imperious, but India are far from figuring out who will join him and Jasprit Bumrah. On the batting end, the question might be about who misses out on the marquee tournament, with an embarrassment of riches on offer. Virat Kohli’s hundred and on-record wish to bow out with a World Cup were as ominous as Rohit Sharma’s return to form and captain Shubman Gill’s record.

3. New Zealand

New Zealand slide one spot from their ICC ranking of second to third on our list, mostly due to being out of action at the moment. The Kiwis have been frequently elite across formats in tournament play, but have had little silverware to show for it. A tame loss to India in the 2026 T20 World Cup final was the fourth in a white-ball World Cup final for the Kiwis in just over a decade, with last year’s Champions Trophy final to add to it. New Zealand have had an uneven year in the ODI format, narrowly beating the West Indies and losing a series to Bangladesh, but then also conquering India, all away from home. It would be a big surprise if New Zealand didn't make the final four of the World Cup next year – 2003 was the last time they missed out — but perhaps a bigger surprise if they actually won the trophy.

4. Australia

You have to admit that the Australian team’s PR could be better right now. They just lost a sixth consecutive ODI series to South Africa in a year where they also lost series in both Pakistan and Bangladesh and almost lost a game in Zimbabwe. . But this is an ODI World Cup and there, Australia are harder to defeat than climate change. Putting them fourth on this list is just a way for us to keep ourselves amused in the twelve months between now and Matt Renshaw’s career-defining, match-winning hundred in the final with Rabada or Bumrah injured.

5. England

England would have probably ranked lower after what was a forgettable summer, with the sudden end to Ben Stokes’ captaincy and Bazball and the never-ending stream of off-field headlines. But thanks to Pakistan’s chaotic tour, England came away looking a lot better and eventually rounded off the summer with a series of strong white-ball performances against Sri Lanka. The batting looked stunning most of the time – albeit at home – but questions remain around the bowling attack, particularly spin.

6. Bangladesh

Ranked ninth by the ICC, the Tigers have had a memorable year where they have clearly levelled up, which is why we have them ranked at six. The most exciting part of this rise has been their pace attack, which has repeatedly proven its quality and should put them in good stead for the bouncy tracks expected at the World Cup. The home series wins over the past year against one-time nemesis Pakistan, and everyone’s nemesis Australia, spoke to the team’s confidence as much as their abilities. Like South Africa, their biggest issue may be managing the rising expectations of their huge fandom as the tournament approaches.

7. Sri Lanka

Like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are also ranked below Pakistan in the ICC rankings but are bumped up here, mostly due to the latter’s shambles. Their current form in England wasn’t the greatest, but their sole win showcased their potential with the bat and their adaptability to the ICC’s new 34-over rule. However, the lack of quality pace a la Bangladesh has knocked them down on our list. The tri-series against Pakistan and England followed by the tour of India will give the team a sense of their strengths in the coming months.

8. Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s position on our ranking is the same as their ICC rank at the moment, despite a busy white ball season. The reason being that it was hard to take away a lot from the team’s four wins against Ireland away or their three defeats to India earlier in the year – such was the gulf between their two opponents. It is, however, undeniable that Afghanistan have matured into a dark horse at ICC events. Glenn Maxwell’s madness held them back at the previous ODI World Cup, but Afghanistan avenged that by knocking Australia out of the T20 World Cup that followed in a few months. The tri-series against Bangladesh and World Cup hosts Zimbabwe in the UAE next month would be a crucial part of their preparations for the tournament, and give us a better idea of where they stand.

9. Pakistan

After Australia lost the series to South Africa, Pakistan had actually moved up the ICC’s rankings to fourth, but that very much feels like a mirage. They are also back to fifth place now. A team that sent their third-highest scorer over the past year to federal investigators looks rather hopeless and things may stay chaotic for quite a while, which is why we’ve ranked them so low on our list. As the England tour proved, Pakistan can’t be sure of its captain and coaches even in the middle of a series. It is thus almost guaranteed that a year from now, we will see some new faces in the Pakistani dugout. They can at least be relieved that their spot in the tournament is guaranteed, as any other silver linings are currently hard to find.

10. Zimbabwe

Rounding off the list are Zimbabwe, who are ranked lower in the ICC list but as hosts and Full Members won’t need to qualify for the World Cup. They have been feisty at home of late, defeating Bangladesh in a series and then taking Australia to the brink in the final match of a whitewashed series. Their tri-series with Bangladesh and Afghanistan promises to be a lot of fun.

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