After the latest update to the ICC men's ODI team rankings, which sides could be at risk of dropping into the World Cup qualifiers?
What is the qualification process for the 2027 World Cup?
There will be 14 teams at the 2027 World Cup, and 10 of them will receive automatic qualification. The first two, South Africa and Zimbabwe have qualified as tournament hosts. Namibia are also co-hosting, but host qualification is a privilege reserved for ICC Full Member nations alone.
Also read: India U19 World Cup-winning captain cracks brisk hundred in Duleep Trophy
The next eight highest-ranked teams in the world as of March 31, 2027 (excluding South Africa and Zimbabwe), will also receive automatic qualification. Zimbabwe are currently ranked outside the top eight in the world. As long as they remain there, teams from 10th onwards will not qualify automatically for the World Cup.
The team currently ranked No.10 in the world are Bangladesh, with a rating of 77. Just above them are West Indies with 80, and in No.8, England at 88.
Latest ICC men's ODI team rankings
Updated on August 30, 2025
| Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
| 1 | India | 36 | 4471 | 124 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 38 | 4160 | 109 |
| 3 | Australia | 35 | 3717 | 106 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 40 | 4122 | 103 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 35 | 3493 | 100 |
| 6 | South Africa | 32 | 3146 | 98 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 25 | 2279 | 91 |
| 8 | England | 34 | 3003 | 88 |
| 9 | West Indies | 35 | 2814 | 80 |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 32 | 2465 | 77 |
| 11 | Zimbabwe | 23 | 1247 | 54 |
| 12 | Ireland | 18 | 938 | 52 |
| 13 | Scotland | 31 | 1381 | 45 |
| 14 | USA | 34 | 1387 | 41 |
| 15 | Netherlands | 36 | 1425 | 40 |
| 16 | Oman | 25 | 886 | 35 |
| 17 | Nepal | 32 | 1060 | 33 |
| 18 | Namibia | 31 | 644 | 21 |
| 19 | Canada | 21 | 391 | 19 |
| 20 | UAE | 32 | 250 | 8 |
Are England in danger of missing the 2027 World Cup?
Out of the current bottom trio of England, West Indies and Bangladesh, England will be in action first in the ODI format, with three games at home against South Africa, and then three in Ireland. The outcome of these six ODIs could shape the future of all three sides, with respect to automatic qualification.
West Indies' next ODI engagement is in November against New Zealand, while Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan in October, after the Asia Cup.
The good news for England fans is that according to the ICC's rankings predictor, they will only drop below the West Indies' current rating of 80 if they lose all six matches across the two series, which appears unlikely.
Winning all six, on the other hand, would push them up two spots in the rankings as they would move to a rating of 94. That is more than Afghanistan's current rating of 91, and would also have dragged South Africa's rating down to 93. The possibilities are laid out in the following table.
England - Men's ODI rating based on South Africa and Ireland series
| SA series result | IRE series result | Rating |
| 3-0 | 3-0 | 94 |
| 3-0 | 2-1 | 91 |
| 3-0 | 1-2 | 89 |
| 3-0 | 0-3 | 87 |
| 2-1 | 3-0 | 91 |
| 2-1 | 2-1 | 89 |
| 2-1 | 1-2 | 86 |
| 2-1 | 0-3 | 84 |
| 1-2 | 3-0 | 89 |
| 1-2 | 2-1 | 86 |
| 1-2 | 1-2 | 84 |
| 1-2 | 0-3 | 82 |
| 0-3 | 3-0 | 86 |
| 0-3 | 2-1 | 84 |
| 0-3 | 1-2 | 82 |
| 0-3 | 0-3 | 79 |
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
