From 32 teams vying for 10 spots at the beginning of the World Cup cycle, just three spots remain.

Spots secured for Cricket World Cup 2023: 7
Teams already qualified: India (hosts), New Zealand, England, Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan

The first eight spots of the 10-team World Cup go to the top eight finishers of the Cricket World Cup Super League, a competition that has run over the last three years that includes the top 13 sides of world cricket.

Seven of the eight spots have been decided, with New Zealand atop with 175 points (15 wins and three no results). Six other teams have point tallies already that ensure a top-eight position, with Afghanistan’s 115 points (11 wins and a no-result) the lowest for already-safe teams. England, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia are also through with their accumulated points.

The bottom five teams of Super League travel to the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe from June 18.

Automatic World Cup spots left to be claimed from Super League: 1
In the running for the final spot: South Africa and Ireland

The most recent shift in the race for automatic spots comes after Sri Lanka's unsuccessful series against New Zealand, and South Africa's two recent wins over the Netherlands in a home make-up series.

The wins for the Proteas moved them to 98 points, a tally that consigns the West Indies (88 points in 24 games) to the World Cup Qualifier, the path they took to qualify for the 2019 tournament.

Sri Lanka's winless trip to New Zealand means they too must make a Qualifier detour (81 points in 24 games), the first time they've had to go through a qualifying tournament since the 1979 ICC Trophy for the World Cup in the same year. 

The only team left who can edge South Africa for eighth on the Super League table is Ireland, though they must win all three matches against Bangladesh in Chelmsford, and improve their net run rate from -0.382 to -0.076 or better. 

Zimbabwe (12th in Super League) and The Netherlands (13th in Super League) also move to the Qualifier.

Cricket World Cup 2023 Spots

Cricket World Cup Qualifier spots confirmed: 9 (West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, The Netherlands, Scotland, Oman, Nepal, USA, UAE)
Teams to be confirmed for Qualifier: 1 (Either South Africa or Ireland)

Just one spot is yet to be determined for the Qualifier: the final bottom-five spot from Super League will be taken up by either South Africa or Ireland.

With the other four bottom-five Super League teams, three teams from League 2, and two from the recently-concluded Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off, the rest of the Qualifier spots are decided.

After disappointing League 2 campaigns, USA and UAE bounced back at the Play-off, ensuring their top-two finishes on the penultimate day of the competition.

Scotland, Oman and Nepal secured their Qualifier spots by virtue of top three finishes in League 2, though the trio had contrasting runs in the tournament.

While a strong start to League 2 from Oman put them ahead of the chasing pack early, Scotland roared to take the top position, overcoming Zeeshan Maqsood's who finished in second.

Nepal's spot was only decided in the last of the competition's 126 matches, where they completed an incredible tournament comeback, winning 11 of their last 12 matches, overtaking Namibia to finish third.

The top two teams of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe will take the final spots for the 10-team tournament scheduled to be held later this year.

Qualifier Spots

Path to the Cricket World Cup 2023

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