England's ODI Ranking Plummets: Concerns for 2027 World Cup Qualification
England's ODI Ranking Concerns
London [UK], May 10: Following the recent annual update, England has fallen to the eighth position in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings, raising alarms about their chances for direct qualification to the 2027 ODI World Cup, according to reports from Wisden.
The rankings are updated after each match and series, but the annual revision diminishes the influence of matches older than a year and completely excludes results from over three years ago.
Consequently, despite their rise to No. 2 in the Test rankings, England's performance in ODIs has suffered. From May 4, 2024, to May 4, 2025, they secured only three victories out of 14 ODIs, resulting in a win/loss ratio of 0.272, which is only better than Nepal and Bangladesh during that timeframe.
This downturn could jeopardize their route to the next World Cup. The 2027 tournament will include 14 teams, with South Africa and Zimbabwe already guaranteed spots as co-hosts. Namibia, another host nation, will not receive automatic entry since only ICC Full Member hosts qualify for that privilege.
Eight additional teams will qualify directly based on the ODI rankings, excluding the host nations. These rankings will be finalized on March 31, 2027. Currently, the teams projected to qualify are India, New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, England, and West Indies.
The remaining four spots will be filled through a qualifying tournament featuring 10 teams, which will include the next two teams in the rankings after the top eight and the hosts—currently, that would be Bangladesh and Ireland.
England, who are just one ranking point ahead of ninth-placed West Indies, are still in a precarious position. The two teams are scheduled to compete in a three-match ODI series soon, and the outcomes could lead to further shifts in the rankings. A series defeat could see England drop below West Indies and move closer to the Qualifier danger zone.
If England falls below eighth by the 2027 cut-off, they will be required to participate in the World Cup Qualifier, a challenging path. The West Indies faced this situation for the 2023 edition and failed to qualify after being eliminated by Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
While England is still likely to qualify for the tournament even if they go through the qualifiers, this scenario introduces uncertainty—something new ODI captain Harry Brook will want to avoid. England has never missed a 50-over World Cup, and maintaining that record will be a crucial focus moving forward.