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ST JOHN’S, Antigua:

West Indies will officially have to go through next year’s Qualifiers if they are to book their spot in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Afghanistan secured the final spot and ruled out any mathematical chance the West Indies had of automatically qualifying for the 2027 World Cup, by defeating Ireland by three wickets in the third one-day international (ODI) on Monday, to take a 2-0 lead.

The West Indies needed Ireland to win the five-match ODI series either 4-1 or 5-0 to have a chance of securing an automatic spot.

The 10th-ranked Windies have two ODIs against India remaining before the cut-off date, but even two wins still wouldn’t push them back into contention.

It marks the third successive time that the ‘Men in Maroon’ will have to go through the Qualifiers to reach the marquee event.

The West Indies were unable to make the 2023 ODI World Cup via direct entry and had to play the Qualifier, where they finished fifth in the Super Six stage and ultimately lost out.

It was the first World Cup that they ever missed, which in turn led to their missing the 2025 Champions Trophy, a competition they haven’t played since 2013.

While a venue has yet to be named by the ICC for the Qualifier, it is scheduled to be held in February next year.

The winner of the Qualifier will get direct entry to the second round of the 2027 World Cup, while the teams finishing second, third and fourth will play the first round called the Super Series. The top team from that tri-series will then proceed to the second round.