ICC Men's CWC League 2 to begin with triangular series in Nepal

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 gets underway in Kirtipur on Thursday with Namibia, Netherlands and hosts Nepal taking part in the first match of a 24-match triangular series that will take them through to the qualifying rounds of the ODI World Cup 2027.

According to the ICC report, from 2019 to 2023 the competition changes from a seven-team format to an eight-team competition through a 24-match triangular series of six matches each, through a similar format to the inaugural edition.

Canada, Oman, Scotland, UAE and USA are the other teams in the eight-team league which will feature 144 matches ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Teams were placed into World Cup League 2 and the Qualifier Play-offs based on the previous World Cup qualification cycle.

The top four teams from Ligue 2 will make it to the World Cup qualifiers. The Qualifier will include the four teams that came through the Qualifier play-offs as well as teams that do not automatically qualify based on the ICC ODI Rankings.

The top four teams in the qualifiers, a highly competitive competition in which two-time world champions West Indies suffered defeat last time out, will join the 10 direct qualifiers for the World Cup.

Co-hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe and the other top eight ranked teams will complete the 14-team World Cup lineup.

ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley highlighted the importance of League 2 in the development of teams.

League 2 fixtures are a very important part of our cricket calendar, as they not only provide the pathway to the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027 but also provide a schedule of highly competitive cricket around which teams can plan their calendar. Can.