2024–2026 Cricket World Cup Challenge League

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]

2024–2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League

Dates	25 September 2024 – 2026
Administrator(s)	International Cricket Council
Cricket format	List A
Tournament format(s)	Round-robin
Host(s)	League A  Kenya (2024)  Jersey (2025) League B  Uganda (2024)  Hong Kong (2025)
Participants	12
Matches	90
← 2019–2022

Teams and qualification

Qualification Pathway for the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

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

Points table

League A

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	NR	Pts	NRR
1	Jersey	5	4	1	0	8	1.776
2	Papua New Guinea	5	4	1	0	8	1.342
3	Kuwait	5	3	2	0	6	−0.777
4	Kenya	5	2	3	0	4	0.087
5	Denmark	5	2	3	0	4	−0.985
6	Qatar	5	0	5	0	0	−1.630

Updated to match(es) played on 5 October 2024. Source: ESPNcricinfo^[7]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Net run rate; 4) Results of games between tied teams

League B

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	NR	Pts	NRR
1	Uganda	5	4	0	1	9	2.874
2	Italy	5	3	1	1	7	2.237
3	Hong Kong	5	3	1	1	7	−0.535
4	Bahrain	5	2	2	1	5	−0.287
5	Tanzania	5	0	4	1	1	−2.328
6	Singapore	5	0	4	1	1	−2.356

Updated to match(es) played on 16 November 2024. Source: ESPNcricinfo^[8]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Net run rate; 4) Results of games between tied teams

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.^[9]

League	Date	Location	Notes
A	25 September – 5 October 2024	Kenya
B	6–16 November 2024	Uganda
A	2025	Jersey
B	February 2025	Hong Kong

References

1. "CWC League 2 and Challenge League cycle to continue for 2027 world cup qualification". Czarsportz. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
2. "Details of 2027 World Cup Qualification pathway revealed". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
3. "ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualification Pathway Frequently Asked Questions" (PDF). International Cricket Council. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
4. "Everything you need to know about the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
5. "Race for League 2 top three set for thrilling climax after Nepal tri-series clean sweep". Retrieved 22 February 2023.
6. "Groups announced for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Challenge League". International Cricket Council. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
7. "Challenge League A 2024 - Points Table". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
8. "Challenge League B 2024 - Points Table". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
9. "Cricket Kenya to host first round of CWC Challange League group in September 2024". Czarsportz Global. Retrieved 15 August 2024.