Top seven teams at ODI World Cup 2023 will qualify for 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, as per ICC's new rules
As the cricketing world eagerly awaited the culmination of the league stage in the ODI World Cup, a significant revelation came to light.
The top seven teams emerging from this prestigious tournament would secure direct berths in the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where they would vie for supremacy alongside the tournament's hosts, Pakistan, in an eight-team showdown.
The qualification system for the 2025 Champions Trophy received approval from the ICC Board in 2021 when the tournament was reintroduced. In the 2013 and 2017 editions, the top eight teams in the ODI rankings earned their coveted spots.
The decision to handpick the top seven teams from this World Cup for the 2025 Champions Trophy was initially backed by the ICC's chief executives committee, later ratified by the ICC Board. This revelation caught many cricket boards off guard, as they were unaware that their performance in this tournament would dictate their participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Under these revised qualification rules, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Ireland will miss out on the 2025 Champions Trophy due to their absence from the ongoing ODI World Cup in India. Shakib Al Hasan brought attention to these new qualification rules during a press conference following Bangladesh's loss to the Netherlands in the ODI World Cup 2023.
In a pre-match press conference, Shakib emphasized the significance of finishing in the top eight, making it clear that reaching the semi-finals was not an option for his team. The ICC has unveiled an array of global events for both men and women in the new 2024-31 cycle, which includes two editions of the Champions Trophy in 2025 and 2029. The Champions Trophy will include eight teams and adhere to the format used in previous editions, featuring two groups of four, semi-finals, and a grand final.
A Full Member of the ICC board has confirmed that qualification pathways for all events were thoroughly discussed and approved during the 2021 ICC meetings. For the 2027 men's ODI World Cup, a 14-team tournament co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, the qualification process will involve the two Full Member hosts (South Africa and Zimbabwe), the top eight teams as of March 31, 2027, and four additional teams selected through global qualifier tournaments.
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