Belfast, Aug. 11 -- With Afghanistan sealing their direct spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, two-time champions West Indies will have to go through qualifiers for the third successive time to make it to the tournament, reported Cricinfo.

The top eight teams in the ODI Rankings on September 30 this year, excluding two of the three WC co-hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, are going to get an automatic spot in the 2027 showpiece event. Afghanistan will join defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England, Bangladesh, South Africa and Zimbabwe after a win in the third ODI at Belfast.

West Indies, ranked 10th in the ODI rankings, do have two ODIs against India in the cut-off date, but even winning these tw...