2024–2026 Cricket World Cup Challenge League
| Dates | 25 September 2024 – 2026 |
|---|---|
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | List A |
| Tournament format | Round-robin |
| Hosts | |
| Participants | 12 |
| Matches | 90 |
| Part of a series on the |
| 2027 Cricket World Cup |
|---|
|
Wikipedia Category Commons Category |
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Qualification Overview |
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The 2024–2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League[1] is the second edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League and a cricket tournament which forms part of the 2027 Cricket World Cup qualification process.[2]
Teams and qualification
The league features twelve teams: those finishing 2nd–4th in their respective league in the 2019–2022 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League, the top four finishers from 2024 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off[3] and two teams from the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off.[4][5]
That tournament saw Canada, winner of League A in the previous Challenge League being promoted to League 2 status, while Papua New Guinea was relegated. The other Challenge League winner, Jersey, was not successful in obtaining promotion. The top 2 teams from both groups A and B will secure a spot at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff.[6]
| Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Venues | Number of teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Qualifier Play-off | 26 March – 5 April 2023 | Namibia | 2 |
Jersey |
| Papua New Guinea | ||||
| 2019–2022 Challenge League | 16 September 2019 – 13 December 2022 | Various | 6 |
Denmark |
| Hong Kong | ||||
| Kenya | ||||
| Qatar | ||||
| Singapore | ||||
| Uganda | ||||
| 2024 Challenge League Play-off | 22 February – 3 March 2024 | Malaysia | 4 |
Bahrain |
| Italy | ||||
| Kuwait | ||||
| Tanzania | ||||
| Total | 12 |
Fixtures
Each group is scheduled to play three times in a single round-robin tournament format, once each year from 2024 to 2026. This amounts to 15 matches per team and a total of 90 matches.[7]
| League | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| A | 25 September – 5 October 2024 | Kenya |
| B | 6–16 November 2024 | Uganda |
| B | 6–16 February 2025 | Hong Kong |
| A | 21–31 August 2025 | Jersey |
| A | 2026 | Qatar |
| B | 2026 |
Points table
League A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jersey | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 2.050 | Advance to the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off |
| 2 | Kuwait | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0.108 | |
| 3 | Papua New Guinea | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 10 | −0.131 | |
| 4 | Denmark | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 | −0.368 | |
| 5 | Kenya | 10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 6 | −0.886 | Relegate to the 2027 Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off |
| 6 | Qatar | 10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4 | −1.455 |
Updated to match(es) played on 31 August 2025. Source: ESPNcricinfo[8]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Net run rate; 4) Results of games between tied teams
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Net run rate; 4) Results of games between tied teams
League B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uganda | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 2.005 | Advance to the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off |
| 2 | Italy | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 2.905 | |
| 3 | Hong Kong | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | −0.436 | |
| 4 | Bahrain | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 9 | −0.325 | |
| 5 | Tanzania (E) | 10 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 4 | −1.549 | Relegate to the 2027 Cricket World Cup Challenge League Play-off |
| 6 | Singapore (E) | 10 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | −2.204 |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 February 2025. Source: ESPNcricinfo[9]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Net run rate; 4) Results of games between tied teams
(E) Eliminated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Net run rate; 4) Results of games between tied teams
(E) Eliminated
Statistics
League A
Most runs
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[10]
- Last updated: 31 August 2025
| Runs | Player | Inns. | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 442 | Rakep Patel | 9 | 91 | 63.14 | 82.15 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 10 |
| 435 | Saif Ahmad | 10 | 140 | 43.50 | 94.56 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 26 |
| 380 | Imal Liyanage | 10 | 107* | 47.50 | 80.85 | 1 | 3 | 43 | 5 |
| 373 | Zak Tribe | 9 | 100 | 74.60 | 108.74 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 10 |
| 373 | Josh Lawrenson | 9 | 139 | 41.44 | 74.89 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 2 |
Most wickets
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[11]
- Last updated: 31 August 2025
| Wkts. | Player | Inns. | Ov. | BBI | Ave | SR | Eco. | 4WI | 5WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Kabua Morea | 10 | 80.4 | 5/29 | 16.95 | 21.04 | 4.83 | 1 | 1 |
| 22 | Josh Lawrenson | 9 | 67.0 | 5/29 | 10.90 | 18.27 | 3.58 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | Nick Greenwood | 8 | 59.3 | 5/38 | 12.26 | 18.78 | 3.91 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Yasin Patel | 9 | 76.0 | 5/48 | 18.11 | 25.33 | 4.28 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Alei Nao | 9 | 65.0 | 4/17 | 17.62 | 24.37 | 4.33 | 2 | 0 |
| Saif Ahmad | 10 | 78.5 | 5/38 | 23.18 | 29.56 | 4.70 | 1 | 1 |
League B
Most runs
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[12]
- Last updated: 18 February 2025
| Runs | Player | Inns. | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 379 | Anshuman Rath | 9 | 90* | 47.37 | 72.60 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 2 |
| 374 | Riazat Ali Shah | 8 | 104 | 53.42 | 105.94 | 1 | 2 | 24 | 18 |
| 354 | Raghav Dhawan | 8 | 85 | 50.57 | 74.68 | 0 | 4 | 32 | 7 |
| 329 | Marcus Campopiano | 8 | 62 | 54.83 | 89.15 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 11 |
| 274 | Sohail Ahmed | 9 | 70* | 45.66 | 62.84 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 11 |
Most wickets
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[13]
- Last updated: 18 February 2025
| Wkts. | Player | Inns. | Ov. | BBI | Ave | SR | Eco. | 4WI | 5WI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Yasim Murtaza | 8 | 61.5 | 4/17 | 12.16 | 20.61 | 3.54 | 2 | 0 |
| Juma Miyagi | 9 | 66.1 | 6/17 | 14.38 | 22.05 | 3.91 | 1 | 1 | |
| 16 | Henry Ssenyondo | 7 | 55.5 | 4/28 | 9.25 | 20.93 | 2.65 | 2 | 0 |
| 15 | Crishan Kalugamage | 8 | 58.3 | 3/17 | 16.46 | 23.40 | 4.22 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Gareth Berg | 7 | 52.0 | 3/12 | 12.42 | 22.28 | 3.34 | 0 | 0 |
| Alpesh Ramjani | 9 | 6.15 | 5/69 | 15.78 | 26.50 | 3.57 | 1 | 1 |
References
- ^ "CWC League 2 and Challenge League cycle to continue for 2027 world cup qualification". Czarsportz. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Details of 2027 World Cup Qualification pathway revealed". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
- ^ "ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualification Pathway Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). International Cricket Council. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
- ^ "Race for League 2 top three set for thrilling climax after Nepal tri-series clean sweep". Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Groups announced for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League". International Cricket Council. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
- ^ "Cricket Kenya to host first round of CWC Challenge League group in September 2024". Czarsportz Global. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Challenge League A 2024 - Points Table". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
- ^ "Challenge League B 2024 - Points Table". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Records / CWC Challenge League Group A 2024-2026 / Most runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Records / CWC Challenge League Group A 2024-2026 / Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Records / CWC Challenge League Group B 2024-2026 / Most runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
- ^ "Records / CWC Challenge League Group B 2024-2026 / Most wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2025.