England has slipped into eighth place in the Male ODI ranking of the ICC after the annual update last week, which raises concerns about their direct qualification for the ODI 2027 World Cup, according to Wisden. The ranking update in each match and series played, but the annual update reduces the impact of matches of more than a year and completely removed the results more than three years ago. Consequently, England, despite climbing at n ° 2 in the testing classification, fell into the eighth of the ODI. Between May 4, 2024 and May 4, 2025, they only succeeded in three victories in 14 ODI, which gives them a victory / loss ratio of 0.272 – better than Nepal and Bangladesh during this period.
This drop could affect their path to the next World Cup. The 2027 edition will include 14 teams. South Africa and Zimbabwe have already obtained their points as co-animators. Namibia, another host, will not get an automatic entry because only the hosts of the integrated members ICC benefit from this advantage.
Eight other teams will qualify directly in the ODI ranking, excluding host nations. These rankings will be locked up on March 31, 2027. In the current state of things, the teams that would cut would be India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, England and the Antilles.
The remaining four places will be filled via a qualification tournament. This event will feature 10 teams, including the following two in the ranking after the first eight and hosts – currently, it would be Bangladesh and Ireland.
England, currently a single classification point before the ninth tarts, is not yet outside the danger zone. The two parties are expected to compete in a next ODI series of three games, and the results could lead to other changes in the ranking. A loss of series could see England falling under the Antilles and Edge closer to the zone of qualification.
If England falls below the eighth by the threshold in 2027, they will have to go through the qualifier of the World Cup – a risky route. The Antilles took this path for the 2023 edition and failed to qualify after being eliminated by Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
Although England is always likely to reach the tournament even if they go through the qualifications, this opens up uncertainty – something that the new captain of the Odi Harry Brook will be eager to avoid. England has never missed a 50 -year -old World Cup, and ensuring that the record remains intact will be an absolute priority in the future.
(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)
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